Lex
by June2be
Summary: Juniper Lex, a Forge God Slayer, and her team of wizards join Fairy Tail under mysterious causes. After being not only accepted, but loved by the guild, the truth of the newcomers slowly reveals itself. The protection of the guild, as well as all of Fiore, falls into the hands of June.
1. Introduction

We were lost. With the danger we had all been placed in, none of our powers would be able to take it for much longer. We had done nothing wrong, they had. Regardless, we had to get away. Otherwise, death was certain for all of us. All of us except me. With reluctance, we found a way to escape. Darren's telepathy and speed, Vanya's transformation ability, Xavier's healing and inventive hands, Yolric's manipulation of the mind, and my flame and steel fled into the land of Fiore.

"I don't know how we are ever going to find this club you're looking for," Darren huffed under his breath. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"A guild, Darren. It's not just some club," I huffed. Just like his magic, his patience was swift. Darren had been my best friend for at least five years, but his attention span wore my nerves thin.

The fall leaves continued to crunch underneath our feet. The crisp smell in the air took my mind off of not settling down for two months. It was just like the old days back home when the forests were our shelter from the evils outside. I had always thrived in the woods, much like a fire in dry leaves. The others, other than Vanya who had lived in the wilderness her whole life, hated spending excessive time outside. They would never say so to my face, but none of them knew that I never slept that much at night when I was alone. I heard their conversations around the fire. Yolric always tried to stay neutral about it all, but his optimism only took him so far.

"June, should we not set up camp soon? The sun will set in about forty-five minutes," Xavier piped up. He gazed up at the sun as if it were an old friend. His light blue eyes could always withstand the sun's rays without fail. I knew the daytime here was hard for him. It made him miss his father. There was nothing I could do to ever keep his mind from straying away to his far-off family.

"Awh, come on... The next town is just ahead. We can make it!" I sang. To them, that meant "properly" cooked food, clean beds, and steamy showers. I was not usually too happy to reach civilization, but this time was different. This time, our new lives were about to start.

"If you say so. But if it gets dark, we'll have to use your fire," Xavier sighed.

"When do I ever mind doing that?" I smiled, winking at him and clasping my hands behind my head. Yolric's flecked eyes rested on my profile, and I could sense his soft smile graze my body. No matter what, Yolric remained by my side. We had been dating since I met him and the other guys years ago. We had been so attuned to each other since day one. He had proposed to me back home. That was before everything happened. I never had a chance to give my reply, and the traumatic events that followed made my answer low on the priority list.

My group seemed so tame for the exception of Darren or when we were all in danger, so I had no idea how this infamous wild guild will take us. Sure, we can put up a fight and we had never lost a brawl before we fled, but will that be enough to be accepted? This place was rumored to be the best in the business, but what drew me to them more were the guild members.

Suddenly a large flame erupted less than a mile away from where we halted. Normally that would be a sign to turn around. For me, it was a sign to run ahead. I glanced over at Darren and smirked. He took his classic running stance and raised an eyebrow. I flashed a look over at Yolric, he nodded his head, and I tapped the pendant the hung around my neck.

Within seconds, armor sprung around my body. I had nicknamed the suit "Vulcan's Guardian," even though it appeared more like a devil than an angel. Golden, curved horns adorned the head of the suit, one which could swivel down to my mouth so I could communicate with the rest of the crew. When not equipped, my face mask slid to the back of my head and curved down to a point. Battle mode activated cannons that stood promptly at my shoulders, spiked wings stood off my back, and a shield and sword on each wrist. A long tail came down in order to help me balance when traveling at extreme speeds. Spheres on the arches of my feet helped me to achieve these speeds, sometimes making me even faster than Darren.

As soon as I was equipped, Darren and I dashed away, leaving the others to follow us at a human's pace.

Within seconds, Darren and I were on the edge of the clearing where the flames had erupted. Embers continued to float lazily in the air. I felt Darren's eyes on me, probing me to go forward to investigate. As I looked around at the people in the clearing itself, I realized that they were not ordinary people. In fact, they were the ones I had been looking to find in Fairy Tail.

"What are you waiting for?" Darren whispered. "Go for it. What are you, scared?" We looked at each other and his expression went from sarcastic to serious. His hazel eyes looked down my frame and noticed my trembling fists. "Well, that explains why you haven't sheathed your armor yet. Don't be scared, June. We know they are good. More than good, they're genuine. And doesn't the blonde one control the zodiac?"

I briskly nodded.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. You know how Leo is, as well as the others. They'll be so happy to see you." I gave Darren one last look. I saw how tired his eyes were. He was exhausted from following me for so long, hoping we were close to where we needed to be. I had to cast away the nervousness, at least for a minute.

I tapped the charm on my chest plate, making the armor collapse back into the pendant. Without giving Darren a second glance, I walked into the clearing.


	2. Home

"I do believe we have missed our introduction," I smiled, sauntering into view with Darren beside me. The five of them all turned to me at once, all with different expressions of confusion and shock.

"And who might you be? Speak," sternly commanded Erza Scarlet. Her long, blazing hair was as fiery as her personality, and her left hand rested on the hilt of her sword. She wore no full suit of armor, only her chest plate and a blue skirt. She peered at the two of us through slits, showing her full suspicion.

"Now, now, don't give Juniper a hard time," a voice from behind chirped. I knew instantly that it came from Xavier, which meant that Yolric and Vanya were in tow. Xavier had such a calming and diplomatic way about him that Erza slowly removed her hand from her sword.

"Ah, seems like the gang's all here. You guys should seriously pick up the pace, June and I have been here for a while now," Darren joked. The trio came up and stood with us, with Yolric standing to my left and loosely wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Now that we're all here, allow me to introduce us all," I began. "The gentleman I came here with is Darren Eachann. He specializes in Telepathy and High Speed Magic. The woman standing beside him is Vanya Moriko, she is a user of Take Over Magic. The one that spoke earlier is Xavier Errapel, who can use both Healing Magic and Precognition. Yolric Chalmer uses Mental Magic. I understand that one in particular is considered a 'Lost Magic'?"

"Whoa, hold up. Are you saying that two of you can use two different types of magic? That's sorta unheard of, isn't it? Not to mention the Mental Magic," Grey Fullbuster mumbled quizzically. His spiked black hair and lack of most of his clothing almost made me not take his words seriously. Sweat was still going down his chiseled chest from whatever battle had happened before we had arrived. I was about to tell him to cool himself off with his Ice Make Magic, but I was soon interrupted.

"What about you... June? Is that your name?" Lucy Heartfilia chimed in. She was the Celestial Wizard, the one that had control of some of the Zodiac. Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and revealing clothes made me not even second guess who she was.

"I am a God Slayer. A Forge God Slayer, to be exact. I can wield fire and metal and am able to make suits of armor, weapons, you name it."

Natsu and Erza's eyes lit up.

"So you're a God Slayer?! I've only fought one before, and I've gotten stronger since then! LET'S FIGHT!" Natsu Dragoneel yelled out. His pink hair was as wild as his will. I knew his background more than any of them. He was nicknamed "Salamander," being that he was a Fire Dragon Slayer. I knew he had taken on a God Slayer before and won, but it had only been by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately for him, I was stronger than he took me for.

"Natsu, we just met them. I don't think fighting is the way to go..," Lucy mumbled. I couldn't help but giggle at Natsu's extreme urge to fight me, but I also couldn't resist.

"I feel as though you should complete your story, Mistress," Vanya spoke. She was one of very few words, but her snake-like amber eyes and smooth voice commanded the attention of all present. As ready as I was to take on Natsu, she was right.

"Thank you, Vanya. Yes, believe it or not, we know who you are. We have spent months looking for you. Where we are from, not only Fairy Tail, but you all as a team are very... Sought after. If you don't mind, we would like to speak to Master Makarov so we can ask him if we are able to join the guild," I finished. There was a long pause as the team looked between each other.

"Happy, what do you think? You're acting weird," Natsu spoke. A small blue cat flew up from behind him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Aye... I-I just have this odd feeling. They say 'where we are from'... I have a feeling they're not just from somewhere else across the sea... Maybe... It's like Edolas..," Happy stuttered out. I had to fight the urge to just run up and cuddle him, just to tell him we were not like the evil ones in Edolas.

"You don't have to worry," Yolric interrupted my thoughts. "Yes... We are from a different world. But there are no other versions of us here. In our world, magic is considered... Taboo. Those of us that are born to practice it are cast out of the world. All we wanted was to come into this place to be accepted for what we are born with." I looked up at his blue eyes flecked with gold. I knew he was using his magic to make them feel calm about the situation. I could tell by their body language that it had done the job. Erza and Grey looked contentedly upon us, and Happy had lighted on the ground where him and Lucy were both smiling. Natsu was the only one that concerned me, with only giving a nod at first, but he soon gave his bright smile, too.

"Well, I think we have everything out in the open now! Anyone have any other questions for us at all?" I piped up after a brief silence. Happy raised his tiny blue paw and spoke.

"What happened to your face? And your shoulder?" He cheerily spouted. Instinctually, I reached up and felt the scar underneath my right eye that almost covered my whole cheek. The 'X' that stood on my left shoulder, the arm that was unsleeved, I was used to. The one on my face was still new to me, and I oftentimes forgot about it.

"Happy! How rude! I guess I'm sort of glad you're not insulting me for once, but you've never even met her before now!" Lucy scolded. Happy blushed slightly, but still snickered.

"Oh, he doesn't offend me at all," I smiled. I walked over to him and knelt down, scratching underneath his chin. His soft fur felt so nice to my fingertips, and a faraway, dreamy look immediately appeared in his eyes.

"Seeee, Lucy? Maybe if you were this nice, you wouldn't have to have to eat so much to feel loved," he smiled. She let out a shocked gasp and was about to spout a comeback when Natsu interrupted.

"Well, what are we still doing here? The guild isn't that far away, we should get them there ASAP! Mainly so we can fight and I won't feel bad for punching a girl!" he cheered. Erza, Lucy, and Grey all nodded, and an uncontrollable smile crept across my face. I felt tears of relief sting in my eyes, but Yolric squeezed my arm and snapped me out of it.

Happy refused to get up, so I picked him up and held him close to my chest, stroking his fur. As we walked, I could feel my heart racing. Soon enough, the guild came into view, and my eyes started to water again.

"Hey," Yolric spoke. "How's it feel to be home?"


	3. Master

The Master was in his personal room, most likely going over paperwork from the Council. Despite the fact that he was not among the others, though, we had to walk through the crowd of wizards in the common area in order to get to his quarters. They were all together drinking, talking, and even picking friendly fights with each other. As soon as they saw us, though, I felt eyes on our backs and heard speculative words mumbled. Despite this, I kept my eyes straight forward. I could not bring myself to look at them. Not until I was a part of them.

"You guys don't have anything to worry about, the master is great! I'd be really surprised if he said anything but yes," Lucy reassured us. I looked at her and smiled nervously. It had been a long time since I had felt nervous, and feeling so twice in one day was way more than was needed.

"Here we are," Erza spoke. "I will go in with you all. Grey, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, you stay out here."

"Why do I have to miss out?! I was there, too! What if Gramps needs my opinion?!" Natsu argued. I could practically see steam rolling off of him until Darren leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Natsu instantly perked up and ran off at a speed that even Darren would find hard to match.

"I'll take the cat off your hands," Grey smirked. I looked down at Happy, fast asleep and content as he could be. Reluctantly, I handed him over. At some point, I had to get a companion of my own like that. My weakness for anything with fur was too much for me to handle sometimes.

"Shall we?" Erza questioned as she opened the door and waved for us to enter. My team all shifted their eyes to me to enter first. I looked around at them, disheveled from the woods but eager to see what the outcome of this adventure would be. I commanded myself to stand a little straighter, smoothed my shirt down, and entered the master's chambers.

When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the sunset radiating throughout the room through a large window. In front of it was where the master stood, gazing out into the glow. The window was the main focal point of the room, nothing else was really extravagant. A bed, small table, and a desk full of papers, a few chairs, along with a few other small items were the only pieces of furniture in the room.

"Master, we have a few people that would like to join the guild," Erza's voice broke the silence. Makarov turned around and faced us, his eyes glistening with intrigue.

Master Makarov was a small, older man. His mustache and what he had left of his hair was pure white, now whether it was because of age of because of stress was beyond me. His eyes were tender and kind, but there was also immense power and experience. He walked closer and looked me straight in the eyes. At first, they squinted in speculation, but then he looked as though he had just found the answer he was looking for in my hazel eyes. The master looked at the four others, up at Erza, and smiled.

"Erza, will you take these four and introduce them to the rest of the guild? Have Mira get them drinks and food. I'd like to have a talk with this young woman here, if you please," Makarov's aged voice spoke with a certain youthful excitement. Erza nodded and ushered my team back out of the room. Yolric gave me a look of reassurance and a nod before being the last one to leave the room. I couldn't help but grin as the door shut.

"That young man has quite an effect on you, doesn't he?" Makarov spoke again. I looked back at him and smiled.

"He's my fiancée... Well... Sort of. Not really," I rambled. The master smiled as my face turned red from a combination of happiness and embarrassment.

"Right. That makes sense. What is your name, Child?" Makarov questioned, walking over to a chair and pulling it over for me to sit in. I happily obliged, considering I had not sat down in what felt like forever.

"Juniper Lex. I am a Forge God Slayer."

"And you're not from around here, are you, June?"

"No, Master."

"Neither is your team?"

"No, Master."

"I thought so. Now, why don't you tell me your story? The real one. If you are to be one of my children, I need you to be truthful to me. Whether or not you decide to tell the others is your decision, but I need to know what brings you here and if you are genuine."

I sat in the padded arm chair, stunned that he was able to sense so much about us without even a second glance. Makarov hopped onto the desk and sat, papers rustling underneath him. He looked at me and patiently waited for a response that I could never give. I sat, looking down, embarrassed that I had not been able to keep the past hidden for more than five minutes.

"P-please, Master... Trust that we are as genuine as they come. We have been traveling months in order to come to this guild. I cannot tell you everything, but I can tell you what is necessary. I-I'm not doing this for me... I'm doing this for Yolric, Darren, Vanya, and Xavier. They have spent the past five years keeping me away from harm, and now I have to do the same for them. I can't... I can't do this alone... We have to stop running. If we keep going like this... I..."

"It's okay, Child," Makarov interrupted. I looked up at him with teary eyes. "I've heard all I need to. I cannot let children go back out into a world where they feel unsafe. I do not know what you are running from, but that doesn't matter now. If the time comes that we have to fight, we will. You are all safe here with us. You are among friends." As he finished, he smiled down at me. I could feel myself begin to shake with relief. A wide smile spread across my face.

The master jumped down from the table and pulled out what looked like a stamp from his coat pocket. He looked upon my scarred shoulder and then up to my cheek with a puzzled look. "Don't let your past hold you back now. You have a brighter future ahead of you," he spoke wisely. With that, he stamped my shoulder with a dark red Fairy Tail emblem outlined in grey. As soon as he did, most of the scar disappeared. I felt my shoulder in disbelief, letting out a girlish giggle as I did.

"I'll set up your friends, too. Right now, I have a little request for you. There's a couple of wizards that I know are rearing to take you on. Would you mind indulging them, June?"

"I'd be honored, Master Makarov."


	4. Flame and Steel

"Natsu! Gajeel! I have a little assignment for you!" Master Makarov spoke above the crowd. All noises stopped at once as everyone turned to see the master and me, newly branded, standing side by side.

"What's up, Gramps?" Natsu questioned, standing up from the table he sat at with Lucy, Grey, Happy, and Erza. Across the room, I saw who I believed to be Gajeel Redfox, sitting back and eating scrap metal. Metal rivets stuck out on his face and arms, his long black hair wildly going down his back. His expression as he looked over at us was one of very little interest.

"I understand you wanted to pick a fight with Juniper here. I thought I'd let Gajeel have a go with you, seeing she can control both of your types of magic. Figured it would be a good bonding exercise for you two," the master explained.

"What?! I don't need this hothead to help me, I can do this by myself," Gajeel stood up and walked over to us.

"Stay out of this, Gajeel! I called this fight first!" Natsu retorted.

"You both underestimate her. Go out back, you three. Yolric, Darren, Vanya, and Xavier, come with me. Erza, supervise them if you would. Everyone else is free to watch or continue doing what you were doing," Makarov concluded, ushering for the rest of my team to come with him. The four of them looked at me, and I smiled and winked back. They knew full well what I was capable of. They had no need to worry.

"Come on, Guys! I'll try to go easy on ya," I laughed, prancing to the back exit. Natsu ran out the door excitedly, but Gajeel stayed put.

"I don't havta prove anything to you," he growled at me. I stopped, sighed, and flicked my finger. Flames instantly lassoed him around his waist and drug him behind me. I looked back up at the other guild members and smiled.

"Place your bets. I doubt any of you have seen a female God Slayer at work," I snickered back at the others. I heard Erza chuckle as she followed us out. The rest of the guild looked between each other and then immediately followed after us.

The back of the guild was a sandy beach. The sunset was almost gone, which meant the darkness of night was soon to follow. I hated the bleak blanket of nighttime, so I would have to make this a quick fight. Natsu and Gajeel took their places on the opposite side of the shore from where I stood. Beside us the guild crowded around to see the outcome of the brawl. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Happy collecting Jewels for bets. I couldn't help but giggle at his antics.

"Alright, you three! Begin!" Erza shouted. Immediately, Natsu ran at me with his fist wrapped in flames. Before he could make it to me, I gave a small blow of air. The flames instantly went out, making Natsu stop in his tracks in disbelief.

"What the hell!" Natsu growled under his breath. He began to flail his fist around trying to set it on fire again. Every time he did so, I just commanded it to go out again. I heard Gajeel do his signature laugh right before he changed his arm until an iron beam. It came shooting toward me, but I raised my index finger and made it slow down. When it came up to me, I made it curve downwards towards my feet. I looked up at Gajeel and raised an eyebrow. He looked back at me in disbelief and continued to do so as I stepped onto the iron and walked, pretending it was a balance beam. With every step I took, I made Gajeel's arm hotter and hotter. I could feel him trying to change back to flesh, but I wouldn't allow it.

"Give my arm back! I ain't your prop!" he spat at me.

"Oh, but you are. At least when I'm putting up a fight," I smiled at him.

"I've had enough playing around! Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu yelled. As he yelled, he flung his arms around. Doing so wrapped them in fire in the form of wings. When they came close enough to me, I flipped backwards over Gajeel's head just in time for Natsu to land the attack meant for me on his partner. I flicked my wrist, making Gajeel's hot, steel arm hit Natsu in the stomach full force. I giggled as the two of them began yelling profanities at each other.

"Oh, Boys," I sang, making them turn back to face me. "Are you going to give me a turn now? What happened to ladies first?"

"You ain't a lady. That'd mean you had some class," Gajeel snarled at me. I gave him an innocent smile and changed his arm back to normal. It sizzled from the heat of my steps.

"While that was a good comeback, I think you're the one about to be burned here," I retorted. I put my right hand up, making fire swirl around Gajeel.

"Iron Dragon..."

"Nope."

I clenched my hand into a fist, making him imprisoned by a sphere of fire. Throwing my hand up to the sky, the sphere launched itself as high as it could.

Without warning, I could barely see the flames disappearing. I looked over at Natsu and watched as he sucked up the far-away flames. I looked over at him, genuinely confused. When he finished, he looked over at me, wiped his mouth, and sneered.

"I'm all fired up now," he said, standing up straighter. "Bet you didn't know I could do that, huh?"

"Oh, I did," I answered. "It's just that your friend was inside of that, and now he's plummeting toward the sea. I wasn't planning on that."

"Oh, crap," he mumbled.

"It's okay, I'll help you save the poor guy," I crooned. With my right hand, I tapped the pendant on my necklace, with the left I snapped my fingers. As my armor quickly sprung around my body, steel ribbons wrapped around Natsu's mouth, wrists, and ankles. Before he even knew what was going on, I dashed over to him, wrapped my arms around his torso, and flew upward. Within seconds, I heard Natsu give a muffled scream. It soon subsided as his face turned an ungodly shade of green. I knew Natsu tended to get motion sick, I suppose it was cruel of me to take advantage of that.

I looked upward and saw Gajeel not too far above me. I heard him yell something out, open his mouth, and blow an immense amount of iron my way. A small laugh escaped my lips as I coated my body in fire and went at a high speed into the metallic spiral. As I spun in the vortex, I commanded some of the steel to come into the inferno that that swirled around me. When I came out of Gajeel's attack, I was able to deliver one of my own.

Making sure both of the horns on my armor were down, I rammed Gajeel in the stomach back towards land. The molten metal and fire that hit made him let out a loud grunt as he flew swiftly back towards the ground. I willed steel that had some give to it to form where he would land, making it so he would not be too injured when he hit the ground. I released the fire and steel that was still around my body and flew back towards land. By the time I got there, Gajeel had landed safely and was knocked out for the time being. I set Natsu gently on the ground and commanded the ribbons to dissolve. He was out for the count, too, just not necessarily from fighting.

I tapped my chest plate and let my armor sheathe itself. I looked at the crowd of wizards that had watched the fight. My team and Makarov had made it back, the crew equipped with their Fairy Tail marks. All of the guild members except for my team and Erza looked at me, mouths agape. Yolric stepped forward and opened his arms as I ran and jumped into them.

"That's my girl! I didn't see but that last little move of yours, but it was just perfect!" he praised me, spinning me around. I lifted up from the hug and faced him, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you ever doubt me, Bright Eyes?" I questioned with a giggle. He gave me a bright smile and put me back down on the ground.

"Well, June, that was quite an effortless display," the Master commented, coming out from the crowd. "I'm sure you and your team will be a great addition to Fairy Tail."

With that, the crowd of skilled mages gathered around us, cheering and giving their congratulations. Now we could look at them without hesitation and speak to them as comrades. Now we were home.


	5. Old Friend

Natsu and Gajeel were walking around again within a couple of minutes. While Gajeel was pretty mad at me for manipulating him in battle, he came around later on into the night. As it turned out, Gajeel had a companion of his own named Lily, who, despite his name, was more fearsome than Happy by a longshot. Natsu, on the other hand, was on me to show him some of the techniques I used. Of course I didn't have a problem with that at all. I had to admit that I admired the Dragon Slayer for his vibrant spirit. Salamander was not the only one that came up to me asking for some sort of assistance. The great Titania came up to ask about me making her a new suit of armor for her fleet. She had been impressed by my Vulcan's Goddess and wanted to have a version for herself. I was honored that she asked me to do that for her and quickly agreed to the task. It would take time to make another suit like my own, but I was happy to do it.

I was not the only one getting along with the others. Xavier quickly found a girl named Wendy Marvell, a Sky Dragon Slayer. Her dark blue hair and innocent appearance signaled her youth in comparison to the other members. She was very proficient in Healing Magic, which I think is what drew Xavier to her. Wendy also had a cat like Natsu and Gajeel did, which I later learned were called Exceeds. Wendy's was named Carla, who was able to use Precognition. Happy was clearly drawn to Carla and her pure white fur, but she did not seem very interested in him. The way Xavier talked to Wendy and Carla was almost as if he was their big brother. It had been a long while since I had seen him so seemingly happy.

Vanya was a girl of very few words, but she soon found a couple of new friends of her own. Her ability to use Beast Soul drew the attention of Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman Strauss. They were all able to use a form of Take Over, with Elfman being able to use Beast Soul himself. They all had white hair, and the two girls were very tender and kind. Elfman, on the other hand, was muscular, manly, and scarred. While this would scare most newbies, Vanya had a certain sparkle in her dark eyes when she watched him. Those three were not the only ones that Vanya got along well with, either. Juvia Lockser with her body of water came right up to Vanya to start conversation. By just looking at Juvia and the way she moved and looked around, I could tell she was keeping her eyes on Grey. I think this is how the two bonded, since every time Elfman walked off or Grey walked by, the two would blush or give a small giggle. Vanya's smiles were very few and far between on our travels, let alone laughter.

Darren had eyes for only one other guild member. Cana Alberona was a heavy drinker with a gift for Card Magic. Her long, brown hair and slender body drew Darren in like a fly to the light. It had been a while since we had been anywhere close to alcohol, but Darren was a big fan of it. As much as he liked it, he could never beat Cana. At one point, I looked over and watched as they played what looked like Strip Poker, and Darren was intentionally losing. When he saw that his Fairy Tail mark was in the same place as Cana's, his drunken self began to try to make moves on her. He would never take advantage of her by any means, but I could tell he wanted to kiss her. Every time he even got close, Cana would hit him over the head with her beer mug. Despite all of this, they continued to laugh and fall all over each other in a drunken stupor. At one point, I even saw Cana give Darren a peck on the cheek before punching him in the arm. Since I had known him, he had only taken a liking to one other girl, but it had not been close to this. Cana was such a strong-willed woman, and that alone would keep Darren in line without a problem.

As for Yolric, it took him a long while to leave my side. Eventually, though, Lucy shoved him off to go mingle. Out of all of the guild members, I would have never thought that he would have picked to hang around the Thunder Legion. From what I could tell, they were one of the most elite teams in the guild. Only three out of the four members were currently at the guild, but he was due to return any day now. Freed Justine used mainly Letter Magic to create enchantments around his opponents. His long, green hair covered his left eye, making me think he also had a form of Eye Magic. Evergreen was a girl with long, brown hair and clearly quite confident in her looks. She wore glasses in order to conceal her Eye Magic, and along with her Fairy Magic, she was a fairly powerful wizard. Surprisingly, Yolric seemed fonder of Bickslow than the other two. He wore a metal mask to cover his eyes for the same reason Freed and Evergreen covered theirs. Wooden dolls that he called his "babies" floated around him with the use of his Seith Magic. Yolric had not been one to leave my side ever since we found each other. Seeing him getting along so well with the others despite how different was a real eye-opener.

When I asked Grey about the Thunder Legion's various types of magic use, he was ashamed to say that he had forgotten about them and that he guessed we "ain't that different after all". In a way, I was glad that we were not that different than the others. At this point it seemed like I was the only odd one, and even then I was not for a second treated as such. It was when I was among all of these wizards together that I realized how long it had been since I had been around anyone else other than my team and vice versa. There was not one person in the guild that I had previously and personally known, and it felt so good to have a difference in conversation.

Well, for a moment at least.

As I was talking with Lucy, a flash appeared at her side. We were both stunned at first, but then a slender figure appeared in the light. When the brightness disappeared, there stood a man in a fashionable suit. His brown hair framed his face, much like a lion's mane. I could see through his glasses that his eyes were on me. A bright smile crept across his face. All at once, I knew who he was.

"How're you doing, Hot Stuff?" Leo chuckled.

"Leo... It's been too long," I muttered. I stood from the table Lucy and I were sitting at and walked over to him. I gave him a tight hug, which he returned wholeheartedly. Lucy looked at us in confusion.

"You two know each other?" she questioned. The two of us pulled apart and looked at her.

"Some things don't change from world to world, no matter how different they are," I began.

"The zodiac is one thing that stays constant, especially in June's realm," Leo continued, glancing down at me as he said my name. "We go back a little bit, June and I. Ares also knows about her, not as much as I do, but she does know of June."

"Oh, how cool! Do you know any of the others in her team?" Lucy asked. When she did, Leo and I blushed and stepped away from each other.

"I know... Of Yolric. We do not particularly get along," he mumbled, pushing up his glasses. When Leo said his name, I could feel Yolric's eyes on us. Leo and I had never been romantic with each other, but he had saved me when I was younger. He was like a big brother to me. But with how we got along so well and Leo's attractive appearance, Yolric tended to get jealous. No one else thought that Leo was a threat, but that didn't matter to Yolric.

"I should probably get going before I further draw the attention of your lover," Leo continued. "I used my own magic to get here, Lucy, so you have no need to worry."

"Oh, Leo! Don't go so soon! It's been so long," I pleaded. He smiled at me again, knelt down, and took my hand.

"I will be back soon enough, Ms. Lex," he crooned. He then took my hand and put it gently to his lips. Leo then gave a glance over to Yolric, winked, and vanished back into the Celestial World.

Leave it to Leo to feign romance to make Yolric's skin crawl.


	6. Room

Master Makarov allowed us to stay in the guild's special apartments provided that we pay up with job money as soon as we could. After talking about it with the team, we agreed that we could pay for most of the first month by selling the currency we had brought for the jewels that this world required. Since what we carried was so rare, we were pretty sure we could get at least 700,000 jewels for all of it, which meant we would still have to get a good job to pay the last little bit of what we needed. It would have been less if we just required one room, but the guys insisted that Yolric and I be separate from them. Of course, Vanya did not want to have any part of the living situation. All she wanted was a shower and to be alone in the woods. Honestly, I didn't blame her. She had always been sort of a recluse like that. As long as she had her deerskin and her pack, she would always rather be outside.

It was around one o'clock in the morning before we all went into our rooms. As soon as Yolric and I walked in, we both set down our bags and looked at each other. I couldn't help but notice a mischievous glint in his flecked eyes. I knew all at once what he meant by it.

"No, I call the shower first!" I yelled, franticly trying to run toward the bathroom and strip at the same time.

"What?! No, you're the one that wanted to travel all of that time! At least let's shower together. June, come on!" he shouted back, doing the same. All at once, I stopped. Startled by my abruptness, Yolric stopped, too. I turned to him and pulled him closer to me. I was down to my shirt and underwear; he was only wearing his dirt-stained jeans. Standing on my toes, I began to whisper in his ear.

"You don't have any... maintenance to do. I do," I whispered. I felt a shiver go through his body as I took his face in my hands and kissed him. When I pulled away, he had a faraway look in his eyes and a smile across his face.

"Alright, you win. But leave me some hot water," he chuckled.

"You know I only use cold water, Dork," I joked, walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind me. I looked back at the white door, reached for the gilded knob, and locked the door.

As I stood under what was considered "cold water," which was scalding hot to me, I watched the dirt and grime from my body wash down the drain. After two baths and a fifteen-minute shower, I was starting to make some headway. As I scrubbed my hair with the complimentary shampoo, thoughts ran rampant through my head, both recent and from long ago. These thoughts were the reason I hated to be alone. Memories of the gruesome battle that led us here. What events got me into the whole situation to begin with. I felt a nagging pain in my chest as the evils of back home picked my brain.

I shook my head, as if to make the memories slip away. I slammed off the spout and pulled back the curtain. The mirror in front of the shower reflected my body's image back at me. Bruises on my shoulders from my backpack made me realize how sore I was. My eyes wandered down to the large scar that stretched from my right side to the middle of my stomach. Like the one on my face, it still took me by surprise. To think I had once been unmarked, pure, and feminine. I took a towel from a nearby cabinet, wrapped it around my body, and made my way out of the room.

Yolric was lying on the ground with his boxers on, hands behind his head and staring up the ceiling. When I came into the room, his eyes shifted over to look into mine. He gave me a serious look, and I instantly felt at ease.

"You shouldn't think about things like that, you know. For one, we've got you now. And as for your body..."

"Please... Don't talk about that. Go shower, you stink," I interrupted, attempting to put on a smile. When Yolric locked me in his gaze, there was no hiding anything. After all, eyes are the window into the soul, especially with his magic. He stood up from the floor, kissed my cheek, and went into the bathroom.

As soon as I knew he couldn't see me, I took the towel from around my body and wrapped up my short, black hair. I looked around the room, already a mess from the clothes we had thrown around in a frenzy. I picked them up and piled them in the corner for us to wash the next day. I then shuffled through my bags in an attempt to find one clean set of underwear to sleep in with no luck. I wasn't about to put dirty clothes on a clean body, especially not after waiting so long to not be caked in grime.

I thought about going to Erza to borrow some clothes when I heard the water turn off in the bathroom. I let out a small screech and immediately threw the towel off of my head, jumped into the bed, and covered my whole body in the grey cotton sheets. I heard the door open and Yolric's intoxicating laughter. I felt him jump on the bed and lie right on top of me.

"You're under there?"

I nodded.

"You're naked, aren't you?"

I slowly nodded again.

He slowly pulled back the covers until my face was visible. I could see his bare chest that looked as though it had been chiseled to perfection. I noticed for the first time where his Fairy Tail emblem was imprinted on his neck. Water stood out on the golden mark. I could feel my heart start to beat faster and faster has he leaned down to my face until I could feel his cool breath on my cheek. His wet, blonde hair tickled my face.

"You act as though I have never seen you like this before, Dear," he crooned. I felt my face get hot as I tried to shimmy back under the covers. Yolric began to laugh again as he pulled back the covers more so he could cover up with me. I saw that he had a towel wrapped around his waist and let out a sigh of relief. "You act so nervous. I wouldn't do anything, you know."

"I know. Just lie with me, Yolric," I muttered. He nodded and pulled me closer.

"So, what do you think about the guild?" he questioned, kissing my head.

"I think they're like a family. Accepting. Loving. But..."

"You're still cautious."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

I sat up on my elbows and faced him. We looked into each other's eyes and after a few seconds, he nodded.

"I get the picture. You just have to learn to trust again. Not everyone is like the ones we left," Yolric began, stroking my hair. I lied back down and nodded. "You know I'm right. From all of the information you were given and by the people who gave it... Fairy Tail can be trusted, June. And if things go south, we've dealt with worse before. We get through everything."

"I know you're right," was all I replied.

"Now to more important issues. Your shoulders being bruised..," he grinned, and then stopped mid-sentence. "You had bruises when you first got out..."

"You forget my 'magic'," I replied, rubbing my nose against his.

"Right. Well, you're still sore, aren't you?" he questioned. He started to run his finger along my collarbone.

"A little."

"That's reason enough for me," he murmured, beginning to kiss right below my neck.

"B-but the lights are on," I stuttered. Yolric stopped and looked up at me.

"I told you I wasn't going to try anything. Just let me kiss you and hold you for a while. I won't even go below your shoulders, I swear," he pleaded. I rolled my eyes and let out a small giggle.

"That I can deal with," I said, kissing his lips. My hands came up from over the covers and went up to Yolric's head; my fingers began to lace into his golden strands. Yolric brushed away wet hair that clung to my face. My heart began to thump loudly against my bare chest.

A ribbon of fire slithered across the floor, up the wall to the light switch, and flicked it off.


	7. Early Start

The next morning, light shone brightly through the one window we had. Various types of birds called out to each other in a cheerful tone. Truthfully, it was the perfect way to wake up.

Too bad it wasn't the way we really woke up.

A horrendous electrical smell filled the room. At first, I did not truly pick up on the scent. Then I felt Yolric jerk upright. Immediately, I clung the covers to my chest and sat up with him. There were Natsu, Happy, and Erza; Erza who was bringing clean laundry into the room and Natsu who had tried to plug in an iron and electrocuted himself. His hair was standing on end and he looked... Stunned, for lack of a better word. Happy was hovering over his staticky hair and attempted to pat it back down, only to be shocked himself.

"Good morning, you two," Erza spoke, a grin on her face. It looked as though she did not notice the fact that Yolric and I were both practically naked and that what she was doing was out of the ordinary.

"W... Whatcha doing, Erza? Natsu?" I stuttered.

"Well, I thought that if I took the liberty of doing your laundry, you might have more time to work on other things. Shiny, powerful things," she hinted, her eyes twinkling. I knew she meant her armor that I had promised her the evening before.

"Yeah, like showing me how to do those moves of yours! I'm ready to go now!" Natsu added as though he had not just been injured seconds before. Happy added in his cheerful "Aye!" after Natsu's words. I couldn't help but chuckle at their impatience.

"Yolric, would you mind going to meet up with the others and working out a plan of action? I'd like to stay here with Natsu and Erza for a bit," I asked. Yolric nodded, kissing my head. With his towel still mostly around his waist, he made his way to the clean clothes Erza had just brought in. He grabbed the first articles of clothing he could find and went into the bathroom to change. It was just me, Erza, and Natsu now... With me being naked in bed. At this realization, I blushed a dark red. When Natsu saw this, he immediately realized the situation he was in and blushed himself.

"I-I should go. I have to... Bug Grey..," he mumbled. Happy was about to question him, but Natsu grabbed him by the paw and left. Erza tossed me some clothes with a smirk.

"So, did have fun last night?" she questioned and I shimmied into my underwear. At this point, I was so used to that question from the guys it didn't even phase me.

"N-no! Of course not! W-we're not some sort of disrespectful animals!"

Clearly, it still embarrassed Yolric. I looked at Erza and rolled my eyes as he came out of the restroom clothed, head down, red-faced, and practically running out of the room. Erza giggled as he shut the door behind him and Happy was heard asking him why his "face looks like a tomato".

"So, Juniper," Erza began, "how long have you been with this team of yours?" I stood up out of the bed to get my jeans and shoes on.

"Five years with the guys, about a year with Vanya," I replied, heading to the bathroom to take care of the last of the morning routine and leaving the door open so I could continue talking to Erza. "Truthfully, they are the only family I have known. My father was always really busy, and my mom... I left so she wouldn't get into trouble with my magic. She was a sweet woman, though."

"Ah, you sound a lot like Lucy," Erza commented. I smiled at her words as I brushed my teeth. Lucy was such a strong and powerful young wizard; just being compared to her made me blush.

I spat minty foam into the sink. "So, let's talk armor."

"Check this out," Yolric said, slamming down two flyers in front of me. Erza and I had discussed everything she had wanted in her armor and were now sitting amongst the other wizards drinking tea made by Mira. I picked up the two pieces of paper and read over each one.

"'Rare Phoenix being sold illegally. In need of skilled wizards to retrieve the creature at secret auction. 100,000 Jewel'. That sounds easy enough. What about this other one? 'Criminal gang wanted. Four in all. 15,000 Jewel per member, 75,000 for all. Consists of Earth Magic Wizard Nile Pater, Plant Magic Wizard Tigris Illian, Animal Possession Wizard Euro Haties, and Chain Magic Wizard Rio Kelso. Take caution'. I understand that both of these are good jobs, but how do we do both?" I read thoroughly. Yolric flashed me a smile and winked.

"Our little prophet told me this gang would be at the auction. Word on the street is that they take great pride in collecting rare creatures, skinning, and eating them for 'enhanced power'. Of course, it doesn't work, and I know how you are with the animals. How about it, Dearest? What say you and I sneak in and save two birds with one job?" Yolric asked excitedly. I could tell he was ready to get back out and use his abilities for good. I smiled at him and nodded, drinking one last sip of tea.

"Sounds good to me," I replied, standing up. "What about the others?"

"Xavier is going to exchange most of our coins for jewels. We decided to keep some of it for Xavier's Precognition, but most of it is being sold. Vanya and Darren were both invited by other teams to go on missions," Yolric explained.

"You two go have some fun. Show them what a new Fairy Tail Wizard can do," Erza stated with a twinkle in her eye. We both looked at her, nodded, and went to prepare for our first jobs.


	8. Phoenix

"I wish we could have taken a day off," Yolric muttered as we approached Tuly Village. The cool breeze accompanied us on our travel to the small town. A crisp smell filled the air. I couldn't believe Yolric wanted to take a day off with such beautiful weather.

"When we pay the master back, we'll take a break. I promise," I replied. Yolric sighed a blissful sigh and smiled. "You're such a dork," I added.

As we entered the village, I noticed how many people were walking about. No one looked exceptionally wealthy, but they all looked happy. They talked in the open-air market and laughed together on the streets. I found myself wishing I had the time to mingle among them, myself. Small, rustic houses lined the streets, and Yolric and I both began to search for the one that belonged to our client. Other than the Kotoko Inn, nothing really stood out to the eye.

"Hey, June, this looks like it might be the place," Yolric called to my attention. I turned to where he was looking and saw a house that looked no different than the others around it. On the other hand, I felt something different radiating from the building. Yolric and I walked up to it and knocked on the wooden door. As soon as I did, the image of it seemed to flicker ever so slightly. I looked up at Yolric and raised an eyebrow, and he nodded back at me.

The door soon opened to show a tall man with neat salt-and-pepper hair. A pair of fashionable glasses perched on his nose with kind, bright eyes looking at us through them. Just by looking at him alone, I felt as though he did not belong in this small village. He looked at us and saw Yolric's Fairy Tail emblem. Immediately, his smile beamed.

"You two are Fairy Tail Wizards! I was beginning to think no one would show for my job request, it is so important to me," his voice rang out like a bell. "Please, come inside so we can discuss the details of your work."

We follow the man inside before we could get a word in edgewise. The inside of the house was the complete opposite of the outside. The walls were painted white with high ceilings. Many tapestries decorated the walls with what looked like framed newspaper articles. The ceilings were painted with a blue sky and white clouds outlined in what looked like golden leaves. There was a quaint fire place in the middle of the room, four chairs, and a small table in between them. Many other rooms spread off from the central ones. Other than the front door, not one other was in the house; all rooms were open. The strange thing was that I felt that the inside was genuine. Nothing wavered or shimmered.

Our host sat down in front of the fireplace and waved for us to take a seat. Yolric and I sat beside each other in the wooden chairs across from the man. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"My name is Bram Laken. This is not the first time I have hired wizards to conduct this sort of job, so I will answer all of the questions I have been asked by others before you. I am sure you noticed that the outside of my house does not correlate with the inside. I do love this village, but I like to have the inside of my house this way, as well. I have lacrimas installed in order to make my house resemble the others on the outside. In my younger years, I made a living getting captured creatures, rare and common, back into the wild. These days, I am not able to get out and go on such adventures, so I hire wizards to do so for me. All I ask is that I am there with you when the creature is released. I know this all seems sort of sketchy, but I have articles from releases I have participated in all over the walls, feel free to look as you please. I will give you 50,000 jewel up front along with disguises to help you blend in with the auction. I will also provide transportation to the city in which this is being held. Now, any other questions?"

I sat, sort of stunned at what all was just said. Fortunately, Yolric was not as perplexed.

"Mr. Bram, you have our word that we will complete this mission to the best of our abilities. Juniper here is a Forge God Slayer and I, Yolric, use Mental Magic. Together, getting the Phoenix back to where it belongs should prove to be simple enough. June, do you have anything else you would like to add?"

This seemed to snap me out of my trance in an instant.

"What do you know about this group?" I questioned, taking the other job request out of my pocket and handing it to Bram. He squinted at the paper for a second before his eyes grew wide. His hands gripped the paper so tightly that he began to shake.

"These people... These villains... They are nothing but trouble. On paper they may not seem like much, but they know how to fight. They call themselves 'River Rine'. This group... They are the reason I have had to stop what I loved to do so much. I was never a wizard, I just wanted to do good. I had two wizards that would travel with me, but... River Rine took their lives, along with a part of me." Bram then lifted his pant leg to reveal a prosthetic leg from the knee down. Above the prosthetic was mangled, even though the injury came from years past. As soon as I saw it, my heart dropped for the man and my blood boiled for the injustice done to him. I related to his story too much to take it lying down.

I stood up from my seat and looked Bram straight in his now sorrowful and tired eyes. "We will succeed today. Both in releasing the Phoenix and capturing River Rine. This may not fix everything, but it will give you closure. I swear to you; I'll capture them myself if I have to."

Bram disguised us as rich yet unlawful merchants. I wore a short dress that revealed my midsection and was made from black lace. Over it I wore a purple coat lined in fake fur to cover my Fairy Tail emblem. Red heels made me stand taller than I was ever used to. The scar on my waist, though partially covered by the coat, really stuck out. Bram said it went along with the lawless scene. Yolric wore a navy blue jacket with the collar popped, skinny pants with tears, and boots. I had to admit, we both looked the part.

A Magical Vehicle powered by an SE-Plug sat covered in the backyard of the house. Bram said it had belonged to the wizards he had traveled with, but we were free to use it to get to the city of Era. Since the Magic Council was destroyed there sometime before, it had been a place of many underground illegal activities. Yolric strapped the SE-Plug to his arm, saying that my magic would be more useful in this situation than his. Besides, he rarely ever used his abilities for more than five minutes, according to him.

It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon when we drove off. The auction was at 7, so we had plenty of time to get there without having to speed through all of the towns.

"This outfit gives me anxiety," I mumbled when we left the first town. Yolric looked over at me and laughed.

"Anxiety? Why? Scared of showing too much skin in public?" he questioned in between his chuckling. I wrapped my arms around myself and blushed deeply, he had the right to think I was joking. I had never told him the truth of my past. Frankly, I could barely remember it myself. But who would believe someone who said they couldn't remember what happened before meeting someone else? All I knew was who had done bad things to me. Somehow, skimpy clothing was tied to it.

Yolric glanced over at me again and saw how I was holding myself. He instantly stopped himself from laughing and grabbed my hand with his free one.

"I didn't know you were serious... I'm sorry. I think you look beautiful always, I guess that's why laughter just came out," he explained. I grinned up at him and nodded. "You know, you have to tell me what makes you tick sometime."

"You know what makes me tick. Asking me to imitate a clock is what usually does it."

"Not what I meant, Juniper."

Ouch. The whole first name. That stung a little. Despite that, I kept my mouth shut. That's what I always did when he wanted to know about my past. I had told him what he needed to know, which was really all I remembered. Eventually, he just sighed and left the topic alone. Even though I could tell he was annoyed with me, he gripped my hand with a loving tenderness.

We managed to keep small talk going until we reached Era about an hour before the auction. I could tell where the Magic Council had once been by the rubble on top of the hill that stood in the middle of the city. The city surrounding the mountain, like any other place, had its good and bad spots. Unfortunately, it seemed as though more bad spots than good lurked in the area. People darting back and forth between alleyways and looking very suspiciously at us made Yolric and I keep our guard high.

We finally found the place the secret auction was supposed to be held. Surprisingly, it was in a better part of town. It was a small café with many people enjoying beverages both at outside benches and inside tables. I double checked the address Bram gave us to make sure we were in the right place, and we were according to his instructions.

I chained up the Magic Vehicle so no one could steal it before Yolric and I sauntered inside the store. As soon as the woman at the front counter saw us, she smiled and walked toward us.

"You two must be here for the evening program! It is right this way," she told us, continuing to smile and leading us to a door in the back of the building. When she opened it, a flight of stairs stretched down into what looked like a basement. Yolric and I nodded our thanks and walked down as she closed the door behind us.

"Gah, we must really look like thugs," I murmured. Yolric only nodded, nothing more. I could tell he was concentrating on something.

"Something isn't right," was all he muttered as we reached the bottom of the stairs. As soon as we entered the room, I felt an uneasiness settle in my stomach.

The walls were clad in steel, the lighting dim. This one room stretched to be bigger than the guild by two or three times. At least eight other rooms stretched out from this one with large doors leading into them. A large stage stood at the front of the room, which was already packed with people. These people appeared a lot like we did; wealthy criminals. I could feel the magic radiating from every wizard, mostly weaker magic, but some were immensely strong.

Yolric and I made our way to the row of seats right in front of the stage. As we sat down, a group of people caught my eye. They were across the room from us, but they were all easy to pick out. Each of them had a different color of hair: red, white, brown, and blue. Despite their differences, most everything else appeared the same. Same tan skin tone. Same piercing blue eyes that were visible from miles away. They even all appeared to be the same height. I squeezed Yolric's knee and nodded my head towards the group. He looked and nodded. We both felt the huge magic energy coming from their direction.

"We'll handle them. Meanwhile, I've got the bidding part. I just need you to get the attention of the auctioneer. Can you do that, Lovely?" Yolric crooned. I felt my face get hot as I nodded my response. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to do.

A woman in a red, skimpy dress walked onto the stage. She grabbed the microphone that stood in the middle, blew the audience a kiss, and began to speak once the men had quieted down.

"Good evening, Everyone," her sultry voice rang. "What an amazing crowd we have here tonight. I have a feeling I know why you are all here, so let's get to the main attraction. Bring out the first item!"

Three men wheeled out a huge golden cage. Inside the cage, a scarlet and orange bird flew about, crashing against the cage trying to get out. Loud and melodic noises of distress escaped its beak amidst the roars of the crowd. Its tail feathers were thinned out from being plucked to see the ability of rebirth that it had. When the crowd settled down, the woman began to speak again.

"For those of you that do not know the rules, I will give a run-down for you. At this magic auction, my attention must be peaked in order for me to get your offer. Use your magic powers to draw my eye, and then shout out how much you want to bid. Highest bidder wins. Once you win, head to the back room where negotiations will take place. Simple enough?"

Now I knew why Yolric needed me to get her attention.

"Right, then who wants to start us off?"

"Don't do anything until the bidding gets higher. We can't afford to be too suspicious," Yolric whispered when the bidders took off. I nodded in understanding. I watched as a stone pillar sprang up with "750,000 J" inscribed on it in moss. It rose right next to the group that had peaked my interest. No doubt now that they were River Rine.

Prices kept climbing up. 850,000 jewel. 1,000,000 jewel. All the way up to 1,500,00 jewel. The Phoenix, terrified of the commotion, continued to flail around in its cage. At this point, I had no idea how Yolric planned to get us out of paying for all of this or how we were going to calm the bird down.

Yolric squeezed my knee to signal for me to act.

I stood up from my chair and held my arms to my sides, palms down. Fire began to make patterns of flowers and grass on the floor. Slowly, I raised up my arms and the landscape continued. Steel trees with flaming leaves scattered about. The ceiling and walls became a red sky. Small, metal animals even crept around the floor, rabbits nibbling at people's shoelaces and small birds hopping and pecking at the ground. As I looked up at the Phoenix, I noticed that it had stopped moving. Its head moved around to look at the scene and then looked at me with its amber eyes. It knew that I had made this happen.

A hush fell over the crowd. The auctioneer looked down at me and Yolric. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him raise his hand to place his offer. I saw the woman took into Yolric's eyes and knew she was done for.

"One jewel," he mouthed.

She stood in silence, mesmerized by his gaze. Finally, what he had said registered with her. With a wave of her hand, all magic in the room that had been used for bidding disappeared. While still looking at Yolric, she held the microphone to her mouth and began to stutter.

"S-sold to the l-lovely couple in the f-f-front."

Shock filled the room. Everyone assumed that we had millions of jewels in order to end the bidding just like that. Yolric stood up, smiled, and took my hand to head to the back room. As we walked to the back door, I glanced to where River Rine had been.

All of them were gone.

I sped up to get to the back, and Yolric quickly followed my pace. If we didn't get our prize soon, the Phoenix would be gone, I was sure of it.

We walked into a dimly lit room with a long, wide corridor. There stood the three men, who I could now tell were triplets, that had been toting around the mythical bird. One of them stepped forward with a very confused look.

"Piney told us you have to pay one jewel..," he mumbled. Yolric nodded, pulled a jewel out of his pocket, and gave it to the man. All three of them looked between each other, shrugged, and nodded. "What the boss wants, she gets. Have fun with that thing. We have to prepare for the next bid. Thank God nothing else is a living thing, I hate to clean up after them." After those mumbled words, they all left.

"You take the Phoenix out to the car. If I'm not out there soon, I'll meet you at Bram's. I'll use my armor. Just get it out of here while I take care of these guys," I told Yolric. He was about to object when a loud commotion came from the other side of the door.

"If you have to calm her down, use your magic."

Thud.

"Go now. I'll be fine."

I tapped my pendant for my armor. One of the metal horns fell to my mouth.

Bang.

"Use your earpiece, I'll stay in touch. If you say anything and don't run now, I might strangle you."

The door fell off of its hinges.

"You got it," Yolric said and he ran down the corridor wheeling the Phoenix with him. I could hear her crying out all over again. I glanced back at them for a second before I threw a metal wall up behind me. No way was I letting these idiots get my bird.

"You honestly think that little thing is going to stop us?" the girl with white hair questioned.

"Oh, Honey, no. That's what I'm here for," I replied, flicking my wrists for my sword and shield to spring out.

"That's Tigris to you, Wench," she growled, throwing one hand out. Vines sprang out at me, but I instantly shot fire from the palms of my hands, turning them to ash.

"Wow, 'wench'. That's an old one. You're _so_ creative, really. I'm impressed."

"Euro does not appreciate the vileness of you, Maiden," the red-haired male spoke, stepping forward. "Animal Possession: Black Bear."

Euro's hands and mouth rapidly began to transform. His hands took the shape of huge bear paws, claws unsheathed. The teeth in his mouth changed from normal and rounded to huge and lethally sharp. In shock, I clasped my hands over my mouth.

Not really in shock. More so in laughter.

As I covered my mouth, a metal muzzle covered Euro's. His eyes grew wide as he tried to pry it off. I began to rub my wrists, chaining up his own together. For good measure, I pointed to his ankles where he was then chained to the ground.

"I'm beginning to think I don't even need armor for you guys," I joked. I could see that this was getting their blood boiling just the way I wanted it to.

"Rio, undo Euro's chains. It might be better if he keeps his mouth shut, though. I will handle the brat," the brown-haired man commanded. The final girl with white hair nodded and waved her hand. Instantly, the chains disappeared into thin air. As I looked at Rio, I noticed something terrifying odd.

Her mouth was stitched shut.

"What kind of wizard are you, Girl?" the man who I assumed was Nile spoke again.

"Forge God Slayer," I replied, throwing up another metal wall up behind the group. Not even turning around, Nile looked straight at me and raised an eyebrow. "So you don't try to leave the party early," I added.

"Ah," Nile nodded, "I see. Well, if this is a party, we mine as well make you dance."

Rock pillars sprang up and surrounded me. I sighed, jumped up, and activated the wings on my armor. Just as I was about to escape from the top of the structure, I felt something wrap around my arms and legs.

Chains.

Before I had any time to think, I was slammed back to the ground. I saw stars for a moment before I heard my headset buzz.

"Are you okay?" Yolric's voice came in. "We're out of Era."

"For the love of Mavis, I'm fine," I hissed back.

"Busy. Gotcha," he quickly replied before disconnecting.

"Awh, how sweet. A little boyfriend. Should've had him say his goodbyes," Tigris purred. A roof of vines began to cover the top of the pillars. It began to grow so thick that I knew just a simple flame wouldn't cut it.

"You underestimate me," I laughed. "Hey, by the way, are these chains made out of metal?"

Nile looked at Rio, who nodded briskly.

"Why do you ask such stupid questions?" Nile barked.

"Why do you make so many stupid moves?" I retorted. I clenched my fists and instantly felt the chains waver. "See, being a Forge God Slayer, metals and fire powers me up. So I thought I would just, you know, absorb these chains. No biggie."

"Wh-what?! Nile, I thought these jokes had to eat things, not absorb them!" Tigris panicked. The chains began to get thinner and thinner. I could feel my strength building up.

"With most, yes. But with me, I've trained a lot. I thought taking time to eat would be a drag," I replied. The metal was now transparent, my power increased. I stretched my arms and legs and my barriers fell away. Brushing my shoulders off, I glared over at the team of four, standing stupefied. I cocked my shoulders back and the compartments on them opened up. Two cannons, one from each shoulder, rose up. They were not huge by any means, but they had the same power as one two hundred times bigger.

"You guys might want to step back. Or don't, it would make my job a whole lot easier if you didn't," I called to them. I fired two shots into the stone pillars. Three of them came tumbling down, causing noise and debris to arise. When the smoke cleared, I stepped out from my rock prison. I looked to where the group had been to fine foliage covering where they stood. I detached the wings from my armor and flicked my wrist. The spikes that surrounded it began to spin and a rapid rate. Much like a boomerang, I tossed it at the wall. The grass and vines were cut before the metal wings made it back to my hand. As I snapped them on my back once more, I noticed the four. Tigris and Euro were standing in shock while Nile and Rio looked sternly at us. However, when I looked at Rio, I noticed a tinge of fear in her eyes. It wasn't from me, though. That much I knew.

"As much as I love a good fight, I think we know how this will end up," I began. "So, you can surrender now or you can just have me take you down. Either way works."

The four of them were silent. Euro, Tigris, and Rio all looked at me with straight faces. Nile, on the other hand, was furious.

"How dare you degrade us in such a manner. None of us will ever surrender to you. These creatures give us outstanding powers, ones that we need in order to be the strongest wizards this world has ever seen. If you think you will turn any of us against each other, you have lost your mind. You see what happened to poor Rio here. Bless her heart, she ran off to defy us. To help a man save these useless creatures. For years now, I have kept her mouth stitched closed. Our other member got the worst punishment, but I cannot say we miss him," Nile raged.

The two wizards that went with Bram.

Rio was one of them.

I looked over at her and watched her eyes tear up with fear. She looked back at me and shook her head apologetically. There was no other choice for her. I related to her all too well.

"Let her go," I growled at Nile. A smirk crept over his face right before he snatched up a handful of her hair. Rio didn't struggle. Didn't move. It was almost as if she was used to the torture.

"Iron Rock Fist," he chuckled with a wave of his hand. Out of the ground sprang up a rock arm with an iron fist. I put up my shield just mere seconds before it hit me. I felt the shield creak under the weight, but I held firm. Just when I thought it was through, I was suddenly being pelted by stone fragments from the pillars that had gone down. I nodded forward and put down my face mask. I waved my free hand above me, forming a steel done above my head. The rocks stopped falling from above, but almost instantly they started pelting me in my side. I was thrown over to the side wall and slid down it.

Slightly dazed, I tried to stand back up. Before I could get steady, a heavy weight pounced on me from behind. I tried to reach behind to grab what was on me, but it was too quick. I felt claws slamming down on my back trying to get into my skin. Propping up on my arms, I struggled to arch my back. I willed fire to not only cover me, but surround Euro's paws. I heard a muffled yelp as he leapt off of me.

Quickly, I stood back up. Nile threw Rio back onto the ground. After a moment of being curled up on the ground, she slowly stood.

"Chain her up so I can finish her. Now," he commanded. She looked up at him and then over at me, her eyes still full of tears and fear. "Do it, Rio. Or you will have to learn how to live blind!" She kept her eyes on me and slowly nodded. With a wave of her hand, chains shot up.

Euro, Tigris, and Nile were all slammed into the ground. They were bound to the earth by their wrists and feet at first, but it didn't stop there. Out of blinding fear, Rio kept going. Their mouths were chained shut. Waists bound to the ground. Tears were streaming down her face.

Tigris lifted her hand as much as she could while Rio wasn't looking. Before any more spells could be cast, I drew a circle in the air. A ring of fire encircled the chained trio. Tigris instantly put her hand down and glared at me. I waved my hand and another metal done appeared, only this time it covered the three criminals. Before I set it down over them, I caught Nile's eye, full of hatred, rage, and defeat.

When the dome had them captured, I looked over at Rio. She stared at me for a moment before she let out a muffled cry and fell to her knees. I tapped my chest plate and walked over to her as my armor sheathed itself. When I reached her, I knelt down and she continued to sob. I lifted her chin up toward me and smiled. With my other hand, I began to draw a line across her mouth. A soothing fire began to burn away the stitches.

"You know, I think my employer has been looking for you. A Mr. Bram Laken. Do you know him?" I questioned. The look of fear in Rio's eyes turned to hope. She strained to open her mouth, but it finally opened.

"Thank you, Ma'am! Thank you so much! Please, take me back to him, he's the only one I have left! P-please!" she sobbed, latching onto me. I hugged her back and stood up.

"Of course I will. You just have to stay hidden while I turn the others in. Okay?"

Rio nodded her head and hugged me tighter. I felt her cool tears drip onto my shoulder.

I had Rio hide in the alleyways as I went to turn the other three in to the police. It really wasn't too hard considering they had caught wind of River Rine being in the town and were all over the place. They seemed shocked that I was able to do it all alone, but I didn't pay attention to that part. They asked me multiple times if I had seen Rio, but I told them that she had escaped shortly after I had captured the other three. Eventually they came to terms with me and handed over 45,000 jewel. When I found Rio again, she had found a cloak in order to cover her face.

The only problem now was the both of us getting back.

After some thinking, we came up with a brilliant but really stupid plan. I fashioned a simple plate of steel and Rio chained her feet down to it. When I had my armor equipped, she looped two chains around my arms and held the end of them.

See how this is going? Like I said, brilliant and stupid.

Of course, I had to start off slow, but I eventually built up enough speed while making sure Rio didn't fall off the back. I could feel her holding on as tightly as she could. Every once in a while, I would hear a scared little chirp as we went around a tree or a building. We were going fast enough to where no one could really tell what was going on.

Within fifteen minutes, we were at Bram's house. I quickly opened the door and shut the two of us in. I undid my armor, and the two of us laid out on the ground. I was sweating, out of breath, and my legs felt strained. Rio, on the other hand, was shaking and out of breath.

When I looked up, I could see the Phoenix on a perch, looking down at us questioningly. Yolric and Bram ran over to us, full of concern. Rio stood when Bram came to her, and they instantly rejoiced. Yolric saw the two and tried to give me a hand, but I was too tired to get up at that point. He smiled, shook his head, and sat with me on the floor.

The Phoenix flew down and landed beside me. When I looked at her, she nudged her beak under my arm, much like a dog would. Gently, I stroked her head and down her back. I could swear that I saw her smiling back at me.

"She seems to like you," Yolric interrupted. "She must have known you wanted to make her safe, I didn't have any trouble getting her here."

"There's a good chance she has imprinted at this point," Bram called from the fireplace with Rio. "This means she cannot be released. It's so tragic, really. Though it really does surprise me since she was obviously treated with cruelty."

Yolric and I looked at each other and grimaced. The scene I had projected during the bidding along with getting her away made her not want to leave us.

"It does seem as though she is attached to you, June. Why don't you take her along with your payment? It is the least I could do. You went above and beyond expectations, wonderful job. I thought Lorie here had died long ago," Bram continued. I looked at Yolric, and he explained to me that Rio had once been Lorie. Bram had told him all about his travels long ago, so he assumed that was the case.

After catching my breath and staying with Bram and Lorie for a short while, we decided to leave. Lorie insisted on using the Magical Vehicle to get us back to the guild. She kept saying she wanted to do more, but that maybe this would make up for some of it. It didn't take much persuasion for us to say yes.

I remember sticking my head out the back window and seeing the Phoenix flying high above us. Sticking my head back inside, I looked at Yolric and smiled.

"We did our first job," I giggled, nestling my head on Yolric's shoulder.

"And we did a damn good job, too," Yolric replied, stroking my short hair. At that moment, I drifted off into a restful sleep.


	9. Elysia

When I woke up the next morning, I was back in bed with Yolric. I was turned on my side with his strong arms wrapped around me. Reaching for his hand, I moved it to my lips and kissed it gently. He stirred slightly and pulled me closer. I heard him mumble something and attempted to hold in my laughter.

"What did you say, Bright Eyes?" I asked, turning over to face him and kissing his nose. His eyes fluttered slightly before they opened to show me his blue and gold designs. He kissed my nose back, looked down, and blushed.

"I had to, um, undress you some. Sorry about that. I just wanted you to be comfortable," he muttered apologetically. I looked down and saw I was only wearing a bra and underwear and he only wore his boxers. I laughed and scooted as close as I could to him.

"It's fine. Wouldn't be the first time," I whispered, kissing his Fairy Tail mark. I felt his hand wander up to my bra clasp and then stop.

"We can't, you tease," he groaned. "We have work to do, don't we?" I looked into his eyes and giggled.

"That we do. Get up and get dressed," I grinned. He sighed and flopped on his back.

"I hate it when you do that," he mumbled. Before I could reply, the sound of wings came to my ears. I looked at the headboard of the bed and saw the Phoenix with its head cocked to the side.

"We would have to get a babysitter for Eldrid, too," I said to myself, reaching up to stroke the bird's amber feathers.

"What?"

"Think of the children, Yolric."

Yolric put his palm to his face and Eldrid let out an approving chirp.

"When did you name her?" he questioned, hand still over his face.

"Just now. Everything needs a name. Now if only I could get her to talk to me..." She flew down and landed on my stomach. Like a cat, she circled around three times and then sat. I continued to stroke her soft feathers as Yolric spoke.

"Didn't you and Xavier make a device that allowed animals to talk?"

"That was for Cody... He was such a good dog. Smart, too. He and Loke were the first family I had."

"Right... Well, make one for Eldrid. Just modify the one you made for Codes. Make it into more of an anklet than a collar."

I took a long pause. Cody had been my companion for so long before he had his "accident". It was so hard for me to think about replacing him, but at the same time, he always said he never wanted me to be without a creature at my side.

"I'll think about it," I replied, patting Eldrid's back. She flew back into her open, golden cage as I sat up from the bed and stretched. "We need to meet up with the others and catch up. Let's get ready and go round them up."

Eventually, we were able to get everyone together in the front room of the guild. Even though it was still morning time, people were already drinking. Surprisingly, Darren was not one of them. He had clearly had enough the night before, though. Yolric went out and rounded up Vanya, who had been out in the woods for the second night. Xavier was the only one of us that looked halfway decent, considering he had been at the guild most of the previous day.

"So, where are we, Guys?" I began when we were all gathered. "Yolric and I got 145,000 jewel and a pet."

"A pet?" Xavier questioned, puzzled.

"Don't ask..," Yolric muttered.

"Madam, going with Elfman proved to be very beneficial. I was able to gather 20,000 jewel and much magical experience," Vanya stated. When she said Elfman's name, I could see her cheeks grow brighter. That alone was worth more than anything.

"Yeah, Cana and I didn't go on a high paying job. I got 5,000 jewel, though," Darren mumbled, sipping on a glass of water. Clearly, he had spent more time partying than anything else. Still, at least it looked like he was through with that for the time being.

"So, 165,000 jewel. Xavier, what did you come up with?" I finally asked.

"Well, I obviously got more than you guys without leaving Magnolia."

"Don't rub it in," Darren interrupted, slamming his head on the table.

"... But I also did a couple of jobs in town. I got us 900,000 jewel."

The three of us looked at Xavier, mouths agape, as he took a sip of coffee. Here he was, not a scratch, injury, or tired eyes, and yet he still made more than we ever could with one job.

"Obviously, I cashed in our money. For that I got 700,000 jewel, as estimated. Then I went around to medical clinics and such to help with patients and healing potions. When they pay you per patient and you're as quick as I am, it adds up. Along with helping the doctors come up with new medicine... I was able to get well over what we needed. In fact, I already gave it all to the master. He was so impressed that he said to call the last of what we owe even for the month. So whatever you guys made, we can just save. Everyone wins," Xavier explained. We all continued to look at him in shock, but he didn't seem to notice.

"H-," Yolric started. I gently placed my hand on his mouth and shook my head. I didn't want to question it. Xavier had a certain power over people that wasn't necessarily magic. People would do anything just to be near him. It was almost as if he was like the sun itself.

"So, a day without work or forced travel... What do we do with our time off?" I asked the team. Out of nowhere, Natsu and Happy ran up. With flaming fist, Natsu punched straight through the table we were at, scattering coffee and water everywhere. Hot coffee in my lap chilled me just enough to make my blood boil a little. "Dragneel..."

"We didn't fight again yesterday! I'm fired up for a rematch!" Natsu exclaimed. I stood up from the table, brushed off what liquid I could, and smiled.

"You don't give up do you, Natsu?" I asked. He gave his signature chuckle and smiled. I started walking toward the back of the guild and waved my hand for him to follow. Natsu ran out the back door with Happy flying close behind. Seeing Happy flying made me remember my own companion. I held my hand up in the air with two fingers up, much like kid pretending to have a pistol. When I pretended to shoot it, a thin stream of flames flew from my fingertips. The line of fire went up the stairs and through the building in a matter of moments. I felt Eldrid's warm presence when the embers found her. Almost instantly, she flew down the staircase and landed on my shoulder. I opened my hand and let the fire return to me as the guild looked at the bird with shock and confusion.

"Long story," I smiled, following after Natsu.

When we walked out into the fresh, open air, Eldrid took off from my shoulder, but she never flew out of eyesight. When Natsu and Happy saw her, their jaws were practically in the floor.

"Just because I'm not a _Dragon_ Slayer doesn't mean I can't have a cool pet, too," I replied to their stares.

"Can we get a fire chicken, Natsu?" I heard Happy mutter. He just shook his head as if to clear it and then focused back on training.

"Where do you want to start, Salamander?" I asked, slowly covering my body with waves of fire. As I did this, he clenched his fists and wrapped them in flames, as well.

"How do you do such powerful attacks without saying a spell of any kind?" he questioned back. "Anyone can use magic without spells, yeah, but you manage to still make your attacks hit hard."

"Straight to the point, huh? Let's just say you never want to make me use a spell. It's bad for all involved."

"Not too bad for me!" Natsu shouted, running at me as fast as he could, fists aflame.

You think he'd learn.

Right before he got to me, I crouched down and kicked his feet out from under him. Immediately, he lost his focus and plummeted face first into the sand. I laughed as steam began to rise from the sand due to Natsu's hot temper.

"You have to learn to foresee what an opponent will do. Sort of like thinking before you speak, which I know you don't do often," I explained, still chuckling. He glared back at me as he continued to fume, mouth full of sand. "Now spit that out so we can do some real work, Dragneel."

We continued to train for roughly three hours with no breaks. As we fought, I noticed more and more Natsu's strengths. His power seemed to increase the more we wore on. In fact, his last attack of Fire Dragon's Sword Horn got me to the ground for a quick moment. The move hit me so hard in my midsection that I couldn't even think about absorbing the flames that surrounded it. Natsu's other strength was his persistence and recklessness. While these could win him a battle, it could cost him his life if he wasn't careful.

Maybe he knew this. Maybe my worrying was stupid. It probably was.

After his Sword Horn, Natsu paused and looked at me as I struggled to get up. My ears were starting to ring loudly, just as they always did when I used so much magic.

"Are you really not out of magic at this point?" Natsu panted. I stood up straight and gave him a smirk.

"That's another difference between my group and the wizards here... Our magic doesn't run out. We just have sharp pains in one area or another. My ears start to ring, but my magic... Changes, too."

"Changes?" Natsu questioned, plopping down on the ground. I sat next to him and smiled.

"Every wound my magic sustains, I sustain. If I trap someone in fire and they try to slice through it with a sword, I feel it. Someone tries to destroy my metal, I hurt. But it's only after my ears start to ring," I explained. Natsu looked over at me with awe and concern. "It's been a long time since that has happened. Don't worry about it. I know my limits."

"Unlike you, Dragneel," a third voice arose from the guild. We both quickly stood up and turned around to see two figures standing in the doorway of the guild. One was a tall, built man with a scar over one eye. His blonde hair was spiked up and a tight, purple shirt clung to his defined chest. He had an air about him that reminded me so much of Master Makarov.

"Laxus! You decided to show up again!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly.

"Who's the girl?" I heard Happy pipe up. Glancing over, I saw that him and Eldrid both were snacking on a huge pile of fish. I clicked my tongue and Eldrid flew over to land on my shoulder.

The girl in question had shoulder length blonde hair with bangs that went straight across her forehead. Light blue glasses framed her fair face and brought out her glistening eyes. A large coat with a fur collar covered the girl's body so much so that I could barely see her clothing beneath. What really caught my eye was the staff that she carried that was over half of her height, and she was less than a foot taller than Laxus. The staff was intricately designed with metal gears, orbs of all different sizes, and metal inscriptions that looked as though they told a story. Her eyes rested on me with a certain skepticism, as if she could tell I was not like the others in the guild.

"Elysia. Elysia Solon," she answered Happy, not for a second taking her eyes away from me. I was never one to feel uneasy, but I felt as though she was prying into me with her stare.

"Yeah, I just so happened to be on my way back from a job when I found her trying to defend herself from this wild dog beast," Laxus boasted as a little tinge of red came to his cheeks.

"Actually... It was more like a Chihuahua that had lost its way from its owner. I was just reading his collar and here comes this dummy, running off the dog with his lightening magic. No telling where he is now," Elysia corrected under her breath. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as Laxus' face continued to turn redder. Elysia glanced back at me for a second with a chuckle of her own.

"Regardless, she didn't belong to a guild, so I figured Gramps would give her a shot," Laxus' voice rang out, softer and less confident than the first time. Elysia sighed and patted his back.

"I mean, the coat is comfy... You didn't do _all_ bad..," she crooned, trying to make up for blowing his cover. He blushed even deeper and quickly turned around.

"I-I need to talk to Gramps..," he stuttered before swiftly walking back into the guild.

"He's so sensitive..," she sighed, shaking her head and wrapping the large coat around herself tighter. Natsu, along with Happy, instantly started to cackle.

"LAXUS, SENSITIVE?!" Natsu sputtered. "He's not sensitive about anything!"

"A-Aye!" Happy piped up. I watched as Elysia's face got increasingly red and frustrated at the two. It almost looked as though she was a ticking time bomb.

"What kind of wizard are you?" I asked before she could get mad enough. She glared over at me, taking away her anger from the two that were finally getting a grip and directing it at me.

"Damn better than whatever you are, Scar Face," she snarled. For a moment, I felt my heart drop at the rude name. Even Elysia seemed slightly startled by her comment, but that didn't keep my blood from starting to boil. Eldrid made a small chirp and flew off of my shoulder. Natsu and Happy went from being cheerful to almost looking scared.

Serpents of steel began to form and slither protectively around my feet, violently hissing at the insulter. Outraged fire cloaked my being, such a dark red that it appeared as steaming velvet. The sand beneath my feet began to burn away.

"The scars of battle are nothing to poke fun at, Darling," I sneered, walking closer to her, "but if you want to experience the power of a God Slayer, then be my guest. Never play with fire if you don't want to get burned."

I felt an electricity pulse through the small space between us. Static was appearing all over Elysia's body, only it was not a normal spark. It was pixelated, almost like an old video game. Only this power was real.

"I might be a little glitch in your little philosophy," she hissed back.


	10. Electricity and Gold

"Why did you have to pick a fight with another Dragon Slayer?" Grey questioned as I got ready in my room. Him along with Erza, Lucy, and Yolric were all packed into the area and I tried to decide the best clothes to wear to the brawl.

"I didn't pick a fight, she started it," I replied, picking up a grey and purple sports bra. "Too showy?" I asked, holding it up to myself.

"Why are you worried about your outfit?" Yolric replied in a panicky tone.

"When you look good, you fight good," Erza replied matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, Erza."

"You bet."

"So, the guild is throwing a big party for this fight?" Lucy piped up. I just shrugged my shoulders and began sifting through my pant drawer.

"Everyone is treating it like the time Natsu and Gajeel wanted to challenge Laxus," Grey spoke, "and we all know how that went. Plus, Elysia knows Machina Soul, too."

"I have armor. Why do you doubt me so much? Shorts or pants?"

"Pants," Erza commented. I gave her a thumbs up and took a pair of worn jeans out of my drawer. I threw up a metal wall and changed behind it as they continued to talk.

"Don't encourage her, Erza... Seriously, June, you want to do this after fighting with Natsu for three hours?" Yolric asked as Eldrid perched on top of the metal wall and looked down at me.

"My ears aren't ringing anymore, I'm fine. You worry too much."

"You worry too little."

"Would it be okay if I bet on you? Last time I did I made 500 Jewel by just betting 30," Grey interrupted. I couldn't help but laugh at the question, and I could almost see Yolric's scowl.

"Whatever floats your boat, Grey," I responded, letting down the metal wall. Eldrid flew over to perch on Lucy's lap and was soon curled up like a cat. I looked over at Yolric, who met my eyes only for a second before he looked away and blushed. His small action made me blush awkwardly myself. I heard Erza give a chuckle.

"Well, I think we should leave June to get herself prepared. See you in a bit," she spoke, ushering everyone out. Eldrid flew out of Lucy's lap and back into her cage, where she calmly preened her feathers. When the door closed, I let out a sigh. It felt nice to have a couple of moments to myself. Leave it to Erza to pick up on the body language.

I went into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. When I dried off and looked at my face in the mirror, I watched as my eyes shifted between colors. Originally, they were hazel. However, they tended to change depending on the situation. They were beginning to flash between golden brown and silver. I shook my head and gave another sigh. My eyes finally stopped changing and stayed brown.

Stepping back, I looked at my body. The scars stood out as much as ever, but I wanted them to be seen this time. For some reason, it felt right. I rubbed my shoulder where my Fairy Tail mark stood out. I could faintly feel the scar underneath, but not enough to trouble me. I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed a denim jacket, and called for Eldrid to follow me before heading out the door.

As I made my way to the center of Magnolia, I noticed the lights of vendors up and down the streets. I couldn't help but look around and smile widely. People would look and me and not shy away, but smile back at me and act genuinely happy. The closer I got to the city's core, the happier and more full of energy I became.

Finally, I arrived at the brightly-lit center. Lanterns were hung up all over and guild members, along with citizens of the town, were all gathered together having the times of their lives.

"Hey, look who showed up!" I heard Natsu exclaim as he ran up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Happy flew at his side, and Eldrid instantly went to him. I looked up at Natsu and raised an eyebrow.

"You thought I'd chicken out?"

"No, I was betting you'd show up!"

"Then why'd you bet on Elysia, Natsu?" Happy chimed. Shocked, I looked up at the Dragon Slayer as a bead of sweat went down his face.

"Please don't kill me," he said, not even trying to cover up Happy's truth. I shrugged his arm off of me and talked to him over my shoulder.

"No worries, Natsu. You'll just lose to me again, is all," I called. Eldrid let out a chirp and followed after me. She landed on my shoulder, and I began to stroke under her beak. "Go find Yolric, I'm sure he's nervous," I muttered. Giving a nod of her small head, she flew up into the dark sky, her radiant tail trailing behind her. I found my way to the center of the meeting place, which was cleared in a wide circle. In the middle stood Elysia and Mirajane, talking and cutting up. When I approached, Mira looked over and smiled as Elysia looked shyly at me. She seemed so much different than she had earlier, hugging herself and making herself as small as possible.

"June, you look ready to go!" Mira grinned. I smiled back and nodded before looking back at Elysia, who was now kicking a rock around. I walked closer to her so no one would hear our conversation, save for Mirajane.

"Everything okay?" I whispered.

"I was really sassy earlier," Elysia replied. I nodded and gave her a wink.

"Apology accepted. Let's give them a good show, then. I hear some people have bet on you." She looked up at me, shocked, and blushed. "Just act like you hate me, and we can be friends after. I think that's how this guild thing works, I'm pretty new at it, myself." Elysia gave a small giggle and nodded as I walked to my side of the makeshift arena.

"I'm not going easy on you, Scar Face!" she shouted, doing the same.

"Like I haven't heard that before, Glitchy," I waved back.

Mira waked to the very middle of the space as the crowd began to quiet down. She raised her arms and initiated the fight.

"Welcome, Magnolia, to a fight between two new additions to Fairy Tail! On my left we have Juniper Lex, Forge God Slayer! And on my right, making her debut, is Elysia Solon, a Lightening Dragon Slayer with Machina Soul! Get ready, you two... And, begin!"

Mira ran out of the way as Elysia and I prepared ourselves. As always, I tapped my pendant and my armor sprung effortlessly around my body. I nodded for my face mask to come down and my horns to stand at attention. The whole time, I kept my eyes on Elysia as her Machina Soul activated.

Elysia first held out her hand and the staff she held earlier that day appeared instantly. She thrust the clawed metal bottom into the ground and bright lights began to pulse through both her weapon and her body. Gold and grey steel began to clad her body in the form of what strongly resembled Greek armor. A metal helmet with a T-shape cut out for the eyes and mouth was decorated with ornaments that resembled wings right above her brow. Between the wings another design in silver beheld a dagger pointing towards the sky. Her breast plate had been cut out at the base of her neck, revealing her new yellow Fairy Tail mark. Designs on her chest, arms, skirt, and metal boots strongly resembled both her staff and her helmet; simple yet deadly. Golden spikes hung at the wrists of her clawed hands. Glistening stars propped at the top of her boots just over her knees. A mosaic of gold and steel was held together by chains as her skirt. Vaguely, I could see electricity weaving in and out of the suit.

An armor made of classic metals made for an easy target. I reached out my hand and slowly contracted it. I watched as Elysia's armor grew tighter with my hand, but she only smiled. The largest orb on her staff flashed a bright yellow. All at once, my armor constricted me with twice the force that I was exerting. Letting out a surprised shriek, I reversed what I had done, which did the same to my own suit.

"An eye for an eye," Elysia smirked, leaning over on her weapon. Now I was able to see what her prop could really do, but I wasn't convinced I had seen it all.

I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet and dashed forward faster than she could see. I started to circle around her while willing fire to form in my wake. A vortex began to form, growing up to twenty feet tall. I could feel the scepter begin to work its magic from the moment I began, only the heat of my own flames could not be reflected back to me. Instead, I felt a sobering cold that chilled me to the bone. My chest began to grow heavy with sharp pain, forcing me to slow down. Before I could tell what was going on, it was too late.

I got down to a point where I slow enough to be seen. As soon as that happened, I heard Elysia call out her first real attack.

"Lightening Dragon's... _Roar_!" She exclaimed, hitting my head on with electrifying breath of such force that it threw me into the edge of the crowd. I threw my head back and my face plate slid back as I panted for air. My bones felt as though they had been pierced, my chest tight from the shock. Sweat was already starting to roll down my face, which was so uncommon for me this early into a fight.

"Yo, God Slayer!" Elysia shouted as I rose to my feet. "Your flames. They're red just like any wizard that uses fire. What makes you so 'godly', huh?" I looked down and chuckled. I figured Natsu would have already asked me that same question, but now was as good of a time as any to explain myself.

I felt a frigid air rise behind me as I raised my arms to my sides. Panic appeared in Elysia's eyes as a black, plasma-like wave of fire loomed behind me. My ears faintly began to ring while I engulfed myself and put my face mask back down. I could feel confusion in the air when I did so.

I leapt forward two steps and then flew right into Elysia. As soon as I had a good grip on her, I flew upward and spun the dark flames around us. She let out a high pitched scream as the fire began to lick her bare skin and work its way through her armor. The staff she still clung to was flashing rapidly and exerting pain back to me, but I refused to cave in after I had put so much power into this one move.

A whisper of a spell escaped my lips, not even loud enough for my squirming opponent to understand. With the uttering of the incantation, my armor sheathed itself. The two of us began to shoot down toward the ground at an incredible speed, the fire that once surrounded the both of us beginning to cling to Elysia. Inside the blackness she began to swing her staff and I felt every hit. I couldn't help but grimace, but I would not let a single noise escape my lips.

All of this happened within a course of seconds before we hit the ground. When Elysia's body hit the ground, the fire expanded in its plasma state and then contracted in a darkened metal. Like I had with her armor before, it constricted her, only at a much more rapid pace. She had no liberty to move until the spell was finished and the metal melted away.

As she lied on the ground and the magic took over her, I managed to land on my feet and slide on the ground. My arm latched around my stomach as I panted for air. I moved my hand away slightly from the scar on my side and noticed blood beginning to run from it. Panic took me over as I tried to rack my brain on how to cover it up from the crowd. It wouldn't have been as big of a deal if the blood was red.

Instead my injuries glistened gold.

I willed a ribbon of steel to wrap around my waist and let go of myself. When I looked up, I realized that not only was the spell about to wear off, but that Elysia's scepter was not in her clutches. Unable to reactivate my armor, I ran toward it at fast as my feet could carry me. As soon as I had my hand on it, I saw another reach up to grab it, molten metal streaming down it.

"Hands... Off..," she growled, propping it up and pulling herself up to her knees. She looked down at the metal that wrapped around me and quickly grabbed it. The ringing in my ears was so loud that I could not hear her next words. Sparks began to dart from place to place in a virtual fashion, not only forming around the two of us, but around Elysia's being. Sweat was streaming down her face, her right cheek red and bruised. Small burns danced against her pale skin. I knew the fight was almost over, but I refused to just throw in the towel.

The plasma-like flames returned along with black, liquified metal and slithered over the ground around us and around my arms. I looked in Elysia's eyes and saw a certain determination combined with fear. She wasn't looking at the magic, my wound, or her staff. Her eyes pierced right into mine. Through the lenses of her now cracked glasses, I saw my own eyes had changed yet again to a raging amber.

I looked down and away from her. In a muffled voice, I heard her begin a chant. I had no idea what the words were through the ringing in my ears, so my next course of action was unknown.

"You have to use a spell. A good one," I heard Darren's voice in my head. I nodded gently and began to mutter a chant of my own.

The ground below us began to crumble and reveal raging fires beneath. Steel chained the two of us to the ground by our ankles and wrists. The flames around us and below pulsated and grew to great heights. As the fires grew, they began to wrap around Elysia's body. I glanced back up at her for only a moment, just long enough to see the hand that was on her staff was reached out toward me. I looked at her mouth and was able to read what she was saying.

" _Raging Bolt_!"

My body was instantly engulfed in a ball of glitched lightening. I felt it course my veins and singe my skin. My chest tightened and breath would not come into my lungs. The only thing I could do was writhe and expand my own attack on her.

As I screamed, I grabbed Elysia's other hand that was still on the steel that wrapped around me. I latched on as tightly as I could and imagined fire in her own veins like her lightening coursed mine. Vaguely, I could hear my opponent's shouts as I commanded her blood to literally boil.

There were perks to having iron in the body.

All at once, the pain stopped. At the same moment, my own magic grew weak and fizzled out. My ears continued to ring, but not with the same intensity. Where there had been immense power seconds before, there was none at all. One of my hands still rested on the scepter, one on top of Elysia's that rested on my stomach.

Elysia's other hand that she had used to attack, dropped to her side. Her shoulders heaved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Armor faded away from her body and soot covered her face. The clothes that she wore under the suit were torn and burned with wounds on her arms and legs underneath. We looked at each other and smirked.

"You're a tough cookie, June," she gasped.

"Same to you, Elysia."

"You have some blood... Corner of your mouth. I think that's what it is," she commented. I pulled my hand up from hers, wiped my mouth, and looked at the golden liquid on my fingertips. I took my other hand away from the staff and put a finger to my lips. She gave me a smile and nodded before we both passed out onto the ground.


	11. Oberon

"Have you missed me, Precious?" I heard in the darkness. I kept turning my head and trying to find where it came from to no avail. I knew exactly who the voice came from, and that alone terrified me. Running from it was all I needed to do.

"W-where are you?" I shouted, panicked. I stepped backwards, still looking for where it came from. Without warning, one hand clasped under my chin and one on my stomach. I latched onto the arm that wound around my waist and attempted to burn it, but my power would not come through.

"Closer than you think... June, is it now? My, how I adore that name of yours. So fitting for your... Heat," he whispered in my ear. "I need a new name myself, don't I..? What... Pleases you?" His warm touch crept from my stomach up my chest, my chin to my hair.

"G-get off..."

"I'm thinking Oberon... A king of fairies... Hey, you're one of those now, right? That would make me your ruler."

Hands grabbed my chest and my hair. I was powerless, terrified, and speechless.

"There's a fairy queen in the guild, too, isn't there? Erza? I think when I'm finished with you, I might start analyzing wizards... She should be the first, don't you think?"

"Enough! You won't hurt anyone here!" I finally yelled. Still latched onto my breasts and my hair, he jerked me around to face him and slammed us both down onto the ground. Through the stars in my eyes and the darkness of the room, he was close enough now for me to see. Dark blue eyes gleamed hungrily at me against tanned skin. Brown hair was streaked with blue, and a glistening, white smirk streaked his face. He was strong holding me down, a strength that I painfully remembered.

"I'll hurt whoever I damn well want to, Whore. Need I remind you of who made you come to realize your abilities? Who loved you before anyone else? All I wanted was you... _All_ of you... And you had to run away. I would have made you happy before it all, June. Pleased you. And after your pleasure, the experiments would have been seamless. You would have been _fine_ with me. But instead, you ran. You found yourself a new team. A new man. I think before I find, love, and kill you... I'll go for him. Yolric... What a _hero_. He won't sound like it when I get my hands on him."

Before I could even choke out a word, I heard screaming.

Yolric's screaming.

I listened as he struggled. As he begged, pleaded for not his own life to be spared, but mine. I heard every blow that was made to him, images of where and how he was being hit flashing through my mind. A spear to the leg. A dagger pierced and drug down his arm. A sword to his stomach. His cries for help only grew weaker and more desperate.

As I writhed underneath Oberon's weight and cried out against the darkness, Yolric's last words hit me like an arrow.

"Look what you do... Oh, Ruby Blue..."

I woke up screaming out Yolric's name as he held my shoulders. The look in his eyes was panicked, scared. As soon as I looked into them, I felt a numbing calm. I quickly latched onto his blonde hair and pulled myself into him.

"I've got you... It's okay," he crooned, rubbing my back. "Who was it?"

I could only shake my head. Knowing what I meant, he hugged me closer into his chest. Perspiration was dripping down my whole body while it shook, still in shock. I wanted to tell him what I had seen and heard, but my mouth would not form the words. I could only sit in silence as Yolric whispered sweet words in my ear.

"It'll all be okay, my dove. No matter what, I'll be here with you. We are safe here... Just think, one day maybe we can have a home... A family of our very own, free from worry. Then it'll all be worth it."

I pulled back from him ever so slightly and softly kissed him. Even though he worried so much for me, he never worried without cause. He knew how to calm me, to make me feel safe. Through the calmness, I began to notice how sore I was from the fight from the previous night. I was about to comment on it when another person flashed through my mind.

"Where's Erza?!" I panicked, jerking away quickly from Yolric. He looked back at me, stunned and confused.

"Her and Lucy, Natsu, Grey, and Happy all just left on a job. What's going on?" Yolric replied, gently holding my aching shoulders. Shrugging him off, I jumped out of the bed and looked down at what I was wearing. Same clothes as the night before. No shoes, jacket in the floor. I quickly grabbed the jacket and ran out the door barefoot as Yolric yelled after me.

I went as fast as my feet could carry me down the long flight of stairs, taking two and three steps at a time and shrugging my jacket on. When I came to the common area of the guild, I felt a few questioning eyes on me as I ran through them all and out the door. The group was just barely in eyesight, only dots on the horizon. Not wanting to lose sight, I activated my pendant and was in front of them in what couldn't have even been a second. I put one hand out and sheathed my armor with the other hand, heart beating out of my chest. All of them excluding Erza looked at me as if I had scared them to death. Erza herself only looked slightly concerned.

"Where'd you come from?!" Natsu yelped.

"Erza... You can't go..," I panted. She raised an eyebrow and her face hardened ever so slightly.

"June, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, stepping forward and resting her hand in my arm and then jerking away. "You're freezing!"

"That doesn't matter! I need you to stay here, just for today, Erza," I continued, feeling more and more sweltering heat.

"Why?" Erza questioned plainly. I had no idea how to explain it. I couldn't just worry them all about a dream I had. It could just be a dream, right? But Oberon was dangerous. Surely Erza would be able to take him on, but he was crafty. He would have his way before she even drew her sword. On the other hand, I didn't want them to think that I had brought evil with me. I hadn't, had I? It was just me and my team that came here... Right?

"I-I... I have a bad feeling... About you running into trouble..," I stammered out. All of the others let out a sigh of relief, again, except for Erza.

"I know you know a little about all of us already, but you haven't seen Erza in action. If anything, your bad feeling is for whoever gets in her way," Grey joked. Natsu and Lucy smiled and nodded in agreement, and Happy let out a confirming "Aye!". I was about to assure them that what I felt was valid when another person came up and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry, guys," Darren grinned, "she's sort of out of it from last night. She needs a little more rest. Come on, June!" With that, he put his arm completely around my shoulders and ushered me off. I tried a couple of times to turn back around, but Darren would just keep making me walk back toward the guild. I could feel him tense up as I became more and more upset.

When the group was out of eyesight, I forced my way in front of Darren and shoved his chest. "What the _hell_ , Darren!" I harshly questioned. He flinched slightly when I did so, but reflected an air of annoyance back at me.

"I should be asking you the same thing. We've been in this guild for less than a week and you've already picked a fight and now you're trying to worry people?! Usually you're the one telling me not to do this crap! What are you trying to do, expose us?!" Darren hissed back. He was always the one that never minded getting mad at me. I never thought anything of it until now. Honestly, his words stung a little.

"I just don't want them to go through what I did, Darren. I saw _h_ im in my dreams last night. He's calling himself Oberon. He said he was going to go after Erza after I was out of the picture." Darren considered this for a moment and then put out his hand, wanting to know if I would let him see what I had dreamt. I took it and put it on my forehead and his eyes immediately lost their focus as he began to see something else. His expression slowly became somber and, without warning, he jerked away. Sweat had beaded up on his forehead, his green eyes gleaming with worry.

"Okay... We don't know if this is even true or not."

"Darren!"

" _But_ , we have options here. The people in this guild are strong. They can help us fight if it comes to that. Until then, we need to wait for Xavier to see something. While convincing, it could still just be a dream. If it's not, he'll see it soon. I see why you're worried, June, but we can't speak of this to anyone. Let's just hold onto this until we absolutely have to let go."

I opened my mouth to object but then decided against it. Darren was right, I shouldn't blow everything out of proportion just yet. The sight of Oberon just chilled me so much that it made me abandon my senses. Biting my tongue, I nodded and kept walking towards the guild.

"No offense, June, but you look terrible," Darren noted, drawing us away from the previous topic. "You clearly have a fever, too. I'm not even a doctor and I picked up on that. You feel like an ice cube when you have one."

"Yes, Mom," I joked. I had to admit, now that I was calming down, I did feel terrible. My fever made me feel extremely hot, and along with the extreme soreness of my body, all I wanted to do was go back to bed. At the same time, I knew I was still too wound up to rest.

"I will chain you down if you try to do anything," Darren mumbled, reading my thoughts.

"Didn't know you were into that stuff. Does Cana approve of that?" As soon as Cana's name escaped my lips, Darren stood up straighter and blushed deeply, his neatly combed hair almost standing on end.

"That girl, she's a tough one," was all he said. He usually had such an easy time with girls, but apparently when Cana was sober enough, she gave him a run for his money. Darren could usually read a girl's mind and woo her, but I had a feeling Cana wouldn't let him through.

I let the topic lie as we approached the guild's doors. This time, no eyes were on me as I walked through with Darren. I could already tell that everyone was used to my actions at this point. I looked around the room and found Xavier, who looked up to meet my eyes when I spotted him. Darren and I went over to him as he drank his morning tea. For the first time, I noticed how long his blonde hair had gotten since we had come here. It was down to his shoulders now, pulled back into a ponytail.

"Making a grand escape, Juniper?" Xavier mused, his Australian accent poking through his words. He used to hate the way his voice sounded and would try to speak differently, but it seemed as though this new place made him feel more comfortable.

"Not escaping, just rushing around," I replied as Darren sat down. "Do you by any chance know where Elysia is?"

"I don't think you need to pick any fights today, given your condition," Xavier responded. "Apparently your body doesn't like electricity, it won't heal at its normal rate. Granted, it will get better, but you have to be a human for a bit and rest up. I know wounds and fevers won't stop you, but it's worth a shot."

I took my jacket off and looked at my arms and stomach. Scratches and bruises were placed randomly, my side stitched up. I could see more wounds through holes in my pants, but nothing too awful. "I don't see anything bad."

"Look at your back when you get the chance. Pretty awesome bruising. That's what happens when you get struck by lightning, though I did think it would be gone by now. Don't know why Elysia's magic is any different than anything you've experienced, but I'll do some research. Oh, while I'm at it, I made sure no one else saw your little... Oddity," Xavier continued, pointing to the corner of his lip. I remembered the blood Elysia saw and let out a sigh of relief. I felt like I could trust her with a little information if it came down to it. I continued to look and Xavier until he gave me the answer to the first question I asked.

"Upstairs, left side, medical room. Wendy has been keeping an eye on her. She's not extremely hurt, just a few burns, which I easily healed. She's just tired and a little bruised up at this point," Xavier sighed. I gave a smile and nod as I followed his directions to where Elysia was resting.

I easily found my way to the room where Wendy's sweet, young voice rang out. Elysia was sitting in her bed, legs crossed, talking to Wendy about what sounded like her previous journeys. Wendy looked at her in awe the whole time. I didn't want to interrupt their conversation, but I knocked on the open door anyway. The two immediately stopped and looked over at me. They both smiled widely when they realized who I was.

"So nice of you to check on an old enemy," Elysia joked, patting the area on the bed in front of her. I walked over to the bed and sat facing her.

"Well, I will let you two chat! Call me if you need me, Ms. Elysia. Good to see you are well, Ms. June!" Wendy chirped, bowing and walking out of the room. When the door clicked shut behind her, Elysia and I looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"I-I've never been an impulsive person, but yesterday I took it so far!" Elysia sputtered out, trying to get a grip.

"I'm the same way... Well, maybe not _most_ of the time, but sometimes," I giggled.

"Well, I'm glad you're so cool about everything. I think this will be great, being a part of a guild. I've always been sort of quiet," Elysia confessed. "See, I have a brother. A twin, actually. He is always so great with people and would break the ice for me a lot of times. He's not about the wizard life, though."

"Second Generation Dragon Slayer, huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, technically... I hate it when people say I'm not a _real_ Dragon Slayer. The thing is... I feel like I have memories of being with a dragon. When I was younger, any time I was by myself playing, sleeping, daydreaming... I would see a dragon. She was so beautiful... Lei was her name. At first it sort of scared me, but then it grew to be as if she was my best friend. I would go out to the ocean every day just to be with her. She taught me everything I know. I kept it all hidden, especially since I looked up to my brother so much and he didn't care for it. But one day... She stopped showing up... The odd thing is that the same day she disappeared, I got this scar on the back of my neck. No one saw Lei, so no one believes that I'm a First Generation. So, eventually... I just stuck with it. I hate fighting with people about it," Elysia explained. It shocked me so much that she told me all of this when I barely knew her. She noticed my expression and looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, I know that's a lot... But people's stories tell a lot about them."

"No, you're fine! I guess I never expected you to open up to me like that," I quickly replied. Elysia rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.

"Well... The way I see it, someone's story tells so much about them. If you didn't know my story, you would think me being shy and not wanting to fight was sort of odd, especially with me being a Dragon Slayer... I also sort of have a problem with people not believing me. Again, that goes with my story. Oftentimes, the past explains the future, if that makes sense."

"Yeah, of course! I totally get that. So, what happened to your brother?" I asked. Elysia's face lit up as she continued her story. Her brother now worked for the kingdom as one of the king's advisors. She went on to tell me stories of people in her past that had done her wrong, girls that told her that her abilities would never get her anywhere. Despite the criticisms and differences, her mother and brother always accepted her and encouraged her to do big things.

As Elysia told me her story, I began to think of my own team. Vanya had always been open to me about her past, but I knew that there were things she had not told me. As for the guys, they never once mentioned their past and neither had I. We had always been running and fighting, never really having a spare moment to sit together unguarded.

So many aspects about the ones I held dear to me came to mind. Vanya's quietness, loyalty, and strength. Xavier's caring, sensitive, and healing heart. Darren's quick tongue, addictive personality, and fighting spirit. Yolric's loving, worrying, and perseverance. I had no clue what caused them all to be this way from the moment they met me, no questions asked. We had been through a lot together, that was certain. But how well did I _really_ know them?


	12. Speak

When I made my way back to the room, the bathroom door was wide open, the shower running. For the first time that morning, I noticed how gross and disheveled I was. Creeping my way into the bathroom, I stripped off my clothes. Before getting in the shower with Yolric, I caught a glimpse of my back in the slightly fogged mirror. From the base of my neck to the bottom of my waist, a brilliant green bruise stretched. Purple circles dotted where my spine met the skin with separate darker purples outlining what looked like veins. In the midst of all of this, reds and blues danced around in no certain pattern.

Smaller bruises and scratches were arranged over most of my skin, as well. At first, I was taken aback by all of the injuries. After a minute, though, I couldn't help but smile. Everything could have ended worse. Elysia, thanks to Xavier and Wendy, was healed for the most part. Plus, everyone else had a great time with the festivities beforehand. That alone was worth the temporary pain.

After a moment, I pulled back the shower curtain as Yolric washed his hair. He opened one eye to look at me, and then nodded his head for me to get in with him. "Get everything out of your system?"

"I'm sorry, Yolric... It was just a spur of the moment thing. I'll be good now," I blushed. He only chuckled and held out his hand. When I took it, he pulled me closer to his muscular body. I couldn't help but melt as he held my aching body. He kissed my head, pulled back slightly, and smiled.

"You stink, my dear," he chuckled, rinsing his hair and beginning to wash his body. I blushed deeper, which only made him laugh more. Giving a sigh, I grabbed the shampoo myself and scrubbed my hair as hard as I could. "Don't scalp yourself!" Yolric added, almost crying from laughter.

"You have such an odd sense of humor," I mused, unable to keep from laughing myself. Yolric pulled me close once more as suds ran down his chiseled body. Without warning, he kissed me tenderly, smiling as he did so. One hand slowly crept down my back as the other held my face. I began to get dizzy, to lose my breath as I submitted to his caress.

"My dear June..," he whispered into my ear. "Why won't you sing to me? It's been so long since I've heard you sing like you do..." I looked up at him, struggling to focus after his affections.

"Y-you just told me that I stink... I-I need to bathe," I stuttered out, stumbling back and grabbing the body soap. Yolric just leaned on the far end of the shower and chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Ah, Juniper... What's that one song you like me to sing to you?"

"The one I actually like or the one you think I like?"

Another laugh.

"The one you really like, Love."

"Head Full Of Doubt..."

"That's it!" Yolric suddenly shouted out. As I rinsed off my body and shut off the water, he began to sing.

"'There's a darkness upon me that flooded in light.

In the fine print they tell me what's wrong and what's right.

And it comes in black, and it comes in white, and I'm frightened by those who don't see it."

I turned off the water and pulled back the curtain to see Yolric in his boxers, hair wild and wet. As soon as I was out and had a towel wrapped around my sore body, he gently took my hand. Before I knew what was going on, he had me up into his arms, cradling me. He walked out of the bathroom and started up singing again, still holding me and swaying.

"There was a dream, and one day I could see her.

Like a bird in a cage, I broke in and demanded that someone free her.

And there was a kid with a head full of doubt,

So I'll scream 'til I die or the last of those bad thoughts are finally out."

The whole time he sang, he looked at me in a way I rarely saw. Complete happiness and contentment. In this one moment, he wasn't worried, wasn't scared... Yolric was only being. This look he gave me made me fall more in love with him, if that was even possible. I put a hand on his cheek and stroked his smooth skin. He sat on the bed with me now and slowly lied me down. I wrapped my arms around his neck and refused to let go, making him chuckle.

"You need to rest, Love, and I should probably go on a job," he crooned, stroking my face. I was about to object to his leaving but held my tongue. I not only wanted him to be next to me, but he always kept the bad dreams away. I could never figure out if it was his magic or just him. At the same time, I didn't want to keep him away from getting out and doing a job.

I pulled him down to kiss me once more before letting go. "Have fun, Bright Eyes. Try not to cause too much trouble," I joked. He nodded as he sat up and grabbed some clothes to put on. I made a clicking noise with my teeth and Eldrid perked up in her cage. She pushed the door open with her head and flew over to the open area on the bed next to me. She curled up next to me and I stroked her amber feathers while I racked my brain on what I would do for the day. The shower had helped me to feel better, and there was no way I was going to "rest" all day.

"I see your wheels turning, June," Yolric commented as he pulled up and laced his vintage shoes. "Please don't do anything too rash, okay?"

"I think I'm just going to do some tinkering and metal work. I won't go too far."

Yolric looked and me hard and then sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had Darren's abilities. I can only pick your brain on things that make you uneasy. Nothing about playing with fire sets you off, you could be planning to take on a whole army for all I know."

"Trust me, I don't want to do that today. I think the most I'll do is start on Erza's armor," I smiled. Lying to Yolric was always a rare case, I only did so when it was a dangerous situation.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. I think it's going to be me, Xavier, and Darren going out today. I'll be back soon." With that, Yolric flashed me a smile and left. I looked back over at Eldrid, whose head was on the pillow next to me. I twiddled one of her long feathers in between my fingers and smiled myself.

"Fine, I'll rest today. But I'm going to give you a voice, Eldrid." Her head perked up, knowing exactly what I had said. I got out of the bed and rummaged through drawers and bags to find clothes for lounging around in along with something else that I had not set my eyes on in a long time.

After about twenty minutes of getting dressed and searching, I finally found what I was looking for. It was a brown leather collar with a single tag on it in the same shape that I branded all of my armor and inventions with, a circle inside of a square inside of a triangle. When I flipped the charm over, I chuckled and read the name out loud.

"'Cody "Codes" Lex. Champion from father to daughter'," I said to myself. Eldrid flew beside me as I read, cocking her head to the side with curiosity. I looked down at her and smiled. "This is what will help you to speak, I just have to tweak it some."

Eldrid's eyes shone brightly as she let out a joyful chirp. It would be easy to modify this for the bird, it was just a matter of letting go of my previous partner. He really had been a champion, one that had protected me when Leo left.

I shook my head in order to clear it and grabbed the collar. I gave another click of my tongue and Eldrid flew up to perch on my shoulder. She rubbed her small head against my cheek a few times before I began to scratch her breast feathers. As she continued to perch on my shoulder, I walked down to the guild's common area.

I sat down at one of the small round tables where no one else was. Eldrid perched on the back of a chair beside me as I sat the collar on the table in front of me. I looked at it for a second, thinking about that I wanted to do first.

"Good morning, June! How're you feeling this morning? You look a little pale," I heard Mira's voice behind me. She set a hand gently on my shoulder and smiled when I looked up at her.

"I'm not one hundred percent, but I'm well enough to tinker around some. Just feeling a little warm and sore is all!" I smiled back.

"Well, that certainly can be worse! Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee, please. Sweet."

"Sure, I'll have it to you in just a moment!" With that, Mira lifted her hand from my shoulder and walked off. I gave a small sigh and carefully unhooked the charm from the collar's metal loop. My fingers rubbed over the inscription on the back, feeling every inscription and indention. I put my lips to the charm's warm surface, remembering its previous owner. A small chirp from beside me brought me back to reality. I looked at my feathered partner and grinned.

At the same time Mira brought me my coffee, Vanya and Juvia walked over to where I sat. Vanya, though her body language was just as always, her eyes were red and watery. Juvia, on the other hand, was clearly mad. I looked and Vanya and raised an eyebrow only to receive a small shake of the head. "What are you doing, Mistress?" she questioned, voice unwavering. I gestured for the two of them to sit, which they immediately did.

"I'm working on a translator for Eldrid. I only have to make a few tweaks, though. Juvia, I think you could help me if you don't have anything else to do."

"My lovely Grey has left on a job without telling me with my competition, Lucy. Not only this, but Elfman has upset Vanya. I don't think I could be of any use on a job right now, fuming as much as I am," Juvia spouted. I looked at Vanya and nodded. She nodded back as if to say she would explain later.

"I'm sorry, Juvia, I didn't know you had so much going on," I replied, blushing slightly. Instantly the Rain Woman went from angry to happy, giving me a wide smile.

"It is quite alright, that gives me something to do, helping you, that is. What may I do?" Juvia asked. I smiled and held up a finger before I rubbed my hands together. As I did so, I felt the fire and metal form between my hands. After a minute, I quickly took the charm in between my hands and pressed it in between my hands and hard as I could. Closing my eyes, I imagined the buffing out of the old and chiseled new inscription on the back of the charm. I could feel the metal and fire working its magic inside of my clasped hands. I opened an eye and looked over at Juvia.

"I'm about to throw this up. Catch it in water, if you don't mind," I explained. Juvia nodded and prepared to cast a spell. She gave an affirming shake of her head, and I threw the charm far into the air.

"Water Lock!" she shouted, throwing her hand up in the direction of the metal tag. Almost instantly, a sphere of water incased the metal. I could see steam rising from inside the water, but it never escaped the surface. Juvia brought it down to our level as we watched it cool down.

"Just keep it like that for a minute," I told Juvia, picking up the leather collar from the table. I put my hand out in front of Eldrid and she set one of her taloned feet in my palm. I wrapped the collar around her leg, noting how much would need to be trimmed off in order to comfortably fit her slender leg.

"You aim to tear apart Cody's old garment, my lady?" Vanya questioned as I spread the collar put flat in front of me. I couldn't help but flinch at Vanya's words.

"Just look at it as recycling," I said, giving a small smile. "He'll still be here, just through Eldrid. It's not rotting away in my drawer anymore." I traced my finger along the leather where I wanted to cut, sending fire out to burn through it. I felt Juvia's eyes on me questioningly. I gave a small sigh but didn't take my eyes off of my work. "Cody was my companion, sort of like how Natsu has Happy. Cody was a dog, but he couldn't speak naturally like Exceeds do. That charm inside your Water Lock enables those that can't communicate to have a voice. I figured Eldrid would like to speak to me, so I'm going to modify it from a collar to an anklet. It's sort of hard for me to let this part of Cody go, but he never wanted me to be without a creature at my side. He said it showed just how wild I am."

"The funny thing is that you do not strike me as wild, my lady," Vanya added with a smirk and a glance over at me.

"I never thought I was, not really. He said I would find out for myself one day," I replied, still smiling. Juvia continued to look at me, puzzled, and smiled back.

"Why share such intimate details with me? We have not even talked much, if at all before this," she questioned. I lifted my finger up from the leather and gave it a small blow as the steam rose from it.

"Just because you're water and I'm fire doesn't mean I can't trust you, does it? I can tell you have a genuine heart. Especially when you talk about Grey," I explained, giving her a wink. I could almost see the hearts appear in her eyes at the mention of the wizard. "You can let that go now if you so choose." I continued, nodding toward the water that hovered between us. Juvia shook her head and then waved a hand. The charm fell into my outstretched hand, warm and newly inscribed.

"'Eldrid "Elle" Lex. A caged bird, free'. I feel like that's suiting and ironic at the same time," I couldn't help but laugh. I looked over at Eldrid, who was excitedly flapping her wings. I heated up the edges of the charm and carefully pushed it into the middle of the leather strap. Slowly it became embedded in the fabric, barely small enough to fit inside without completely ripping the material in two. When it was secured in place, I ran two fingers on the edges where the charm met the leather, welding it into place. After that was finished, I bent the charm slightly so it would curve around Eldrid's leg.

"June, you and Yolric have been with each other for a while, right?" Juvia asked meekly. I couldn't help but blush as I paused to take a sip of coffee.

"We have. Why do you ask?"

I began to wrap the fabric around Eldrid's leg just tight enough so it wouldn't slip off. As Juvia talked, I ran two fingers down the seam where the leather met and welded it together. Elle was squirming with excitement in her beady eyes.

"Well, would you have any advice for me when it comes to my darling Grey? I would like to woo him as much as he does me." I blushed even deeper as I finished up my work and thought of a way to reply.

"Just be confident in who you are, Juvia. You are an amazing wizard, kind, lovely... He still has some growing up to do, but when he gets there he'll find you. He would be crazy not to fall for a woman like you," I told her after a pause. Like a mirror, she reflected my red face. Quickly, I changed to subject and pressed the circle the rested in the middle of the charm. It gave a small _Click!_ before beeping.

"Creature found. Phoenix. Female. Approximately one year in species age, ten years in human age. Finding appropriate voice for subject," a mechanical man said through the charm. The sound of static could be heard for a moment, but quickly stopped and was followed by another beep. Elle looked at me for a second, head cocked to the side.

"Well, what do you have to say, Dear?" I crooned, giving the Phoenix a little scratch under her beak.

"You mean it works now?" a sweet, melodic voice of a girl rung out. I heard Juvia gasp in excitement and Eldrid flapped her wings and chirped wildly. "Oh my, how pretty! My voice, it's so nice! Thank you so much, Lady Juniper!" I felt sweat begin to run down my face as I began to notice my fever once more, but the happiness of the moment made it to where I could only smile. I watched the red and orange feathers fly joyfully around the room and listened as she called out words of greeting to the other guild mates.

"Wow, June, how amazing is that..," Juvia said, more to herself, as I sipped more on my coffee. Now that my hands were not busy, my aches and pains were beginning to return. I watched as Eldrid flew, free in her happiness. I thought of all of the pain she had experienced in captivity and realized how insignificant my own minor wounds were.

"Where are you staying at since you're not in the guild's rooms, Vanya? I would love to see your setup," I spoke, not taking my eyes off of my flying friend, who had now lighted next to Gajeel and Lily. Lily smiled and began to talk to her while Gajeel looked on, seemingly annoyed as always. Vanya rose from the table and waved her hand for me to stand with her.

"Come, I will happily show you and your Eldrid. Juvia, might I catch up with you later?" Vanya asked as she straightened out the beads she wore. Juvia nodded in agreement and waved as Vanya and I left the guild with Eldrid following us, doing arial tricks overhead.


	13. Healing Waters

It took us quite a bit of walking before we arrived to Vanya's camp. The extent of setup was amazing to me. A simple yet sturdy tent made from tanned fabric stood to the left of a stone fire pit, embers still smoking from early that morning. A makeshift hammock was hung in between two trees bordering a river, a fishing pole resting inside. Twine was also tied between trees with clothing hung on it to dry. Animal traps were set up here and there around the border of the camp. When I looked up, I noticed a platform on the wide, outspread branch of one of the trees with wrapped packages on top. I knew that had to be what she had caught so far. The leaves that fell from the trees overhead made the scene a tranquil one.

"Vanya, this is amazing... I would almost rather stay out here with you over the rooms at the guild," I told her as Eldrid perched on my shoulder. Vanya gave a small smile and nodded.

"Many thanks, Mistress. I still have much work to do. I truly hope that we stay a part of Fairy Tail for a long while," Vanya replied.

"That reminds me, what is going on with Elfman?" I questioned. Vanya sighed and blushed slightly.

"I shall tell you momentarily. Right now, I believe I might be able to cure your bruising and wounds if you will trust me."

I looked back at Vanya, eyebrow raised. She had never expressed much desire in healing, but at the same time I knew the tribe she had come from had taught her every art imaginable, from fighting to medicine. The difference between her and Xavier was that her healing was all natural, no magic at all. Though she didn't speak much, she was knowledgeable about so much.

"It's in the water. I found some Jewelweed and Lavender around here and mixed it from some oils from town. I sensed that this water was pure enough to be used for healing, so I made it so. It is still drinkable, as well," Vanya explained. "You must bathe in the river and then you should become healed."

"You have to get naked!" Eldrid chirped out, flapping her wings and taking back off into the air. I shook my head and laughed, beginning to shrug off my clothing. As I did so, Vanya went over to the hammock and removed the fishing pole to make room for herself. The aqua-colored gems she wore on her ears, hands, wrists, and around her neck shone in the fall light. She propped her tan feet on the tree trunk in front of them, showing her dark green Fairy Tail mark. Her simple brown dress had tassels on the end that slowly fell down from her leg. She put both of her hands behind her head. With her dress only covering the shoulders, her toned arms were visible.

"You wish to know of my relations with Elfman," Vanya sighed as I stepped into the warm water. It smelled sweetly of herbs and made my skin tingle. "I have feelings for him, yes. He reminds me of my late father. Unfortunately, I can see that he has feelings for Miss Evergreen. He openly displays an interest in me, but I can see it in his eyes that his soul belongs to her. It is truly troublesome to me, he would be such a perfect king to my people."

I cupped water in my hand and let it trickle down my bare back. I could feel my burning fever begin to fade. "I'm sorry about that, Vanya. I wish I could help you, I know how much you try to look out for your tribe. I always forget that you are next in line for the throne when your mother passes. How will that work?"

"Ah, now you wish to delve into my history now. You forget I'm a princess because it is not of much importance. "

I remembered the talk Elysia and I had earlier that morning of people's pasts. While Vanya had told me of her royal bloodline and that she had been granted time away from her tribe, I supposed I didn't know much more than that. There had to be more to her than an Indian throne and jewels.

"I really would like to know more about you, Vanya. We're in a safe position now where we can focus on each other, so why not start?"

With one smooth motion, Vanya swung herself from the hammock and crouched at the bank of the river. I propped my arms up on the ground, myself, still soaking.

"My mistress, I do trust you immensely. You have managed to show me and my people how kind others outside of us can be. However, if you would like to learn of my past, we must travel alone together for a while. Though you show us all equal kindness, even compared to Sir Yolric, I would prefer us to become closer if you wish to know that much about me."

I had to admit, Vanya made sense. I would never just tell someone every detail about my life if we were not extremely close to begin with. Having some time away from the guys would be nice, too. Sometimes I felt like I was starting to act more like them than I did myself.

"Alright, how about we take a few far-off jobs? You, me, and Elle can go and get to know each other. We should learn a lot about one another just from that alone. Maybe that will make you feel more comfortable with me," I suggested, submerging all but my head in the healing waters. Vanya gave a genuine smile and sat straighter.

"I would greatly enjoy that. You always let me use the practices of my people, and for that you have my gratitude." Vanya stood up and stretched her arms out. I could see that something came to her mind that made her perk up even more. "We must do a Karma Ritual before departure. This will make it to where no bad luck comes our way. Would that be okay, Lady June?"

"Hey, that's fine with me. You'll have to teach me how to do it, otherwise we'll be the ones getting bad karma," I joked. Vanya reached for my hand and pulled me from the water when I took it. Still holding my hand, she spun me around and grinned.

"My waters have worked and your bruises are fading before my eyes. In this case, we shall do the ritual tomorrow night in front of the guild mates. We must have an audience for it to work," Vanya spoke, for once changing her tone to that of excitement and joy. I had no idea what emotion I wanted to feel first; shock that her waters had worked over Xavier's magic, happiness for her joy, or complete nervousness that she wanted a ritual to be done in front of everyone.


	14. Bad Karma

It wasn't until late that evening that I made it back to the guild. Vanya had put me to work with clearing more trees to give room for the gathering the next night. Of course, that wasn't the part that took the most amount of time. In fact, with my fire and steel, it may have taken me thirty minutes to make an area big enough for the whole guild. What took me the longest was memorizing the ritual that Vanya had planned. As embarrassing and seductive as it was for me, Vanya seemed to have no trouble with it at all.

The crowd was to sit around us in a wide circle as we danced and sang in the middle, blindfolded, the fire pit between us. While still blindfolded, we were each to pull one person from the audience and set them back to back. At that point, we had to perform for that one person in particular, at the end of which the blindfolds were removed.

According to Vanya's traditions, the two picked from the audience were to serve as good luck charms for those performing. Supposedly if the performers were to experience hardships of any kind, the power of the ones picked from the audience were to assist them. I figured that even if it didn't work, it would still be interesting who would be chosen.

Vanya stayed at her camp as I went back to the guild with Eldrid. Many people were still awake and laughing, including the guys. They were all drinking a mug of beer and carrying on as if they had accomplished something big. I stood back and watched them for a second, smiling at their expressions.

Elle flew down from my shoulder and onto the ground, looking up at me. "Why don't you go be with Yolric? You love him, right?" she asked me. I giggled at her and knelt down to stroke her head.

"I just want to watch him be who he is when I'm not with him for a moment. He's the same person, sure, but it's rare I just get to stand back and watch any of them," I replied. Elle cocked her head to the side.

"You sound like a stalker, Miss June," she said plainly. I laughed before I stood and walked over to the guys. Yolric's back was to me and I wrapped my arms around him from behind. When I did so, he sat a little straighter and put a hand on my arm.

"Yo, Hot Head! What have you been up to, you look less like a train wreck!" Darren spoke loudly. I rolled my eyes at him and nestled my nose in Yolric's neck. Without warning, Yolric turned and pulled me down to sit in his lap. He put his mouth close to mine and smiled, the smell of alcohol barely on his breath.

"Hello, Sweetness," he crooned.

"I've just been with Vanya today, Darren! You know, she got rid of my scratches and bruises? How cool is that?" I blurted out. Darren and Yolric both laughed.

"Alright, Chatty Kathy. Clearly you're nervous. Is it the ritual you're doing tomorrow or Yolric being so incredibly sappy?" Darren replied.

"How did you-"

"You keep your mind so open, especially when you're flustered. Your mind is practically begging to be read. See, Yolric, she didn't go destroy a cult or anything."

I looked up at Yolric as he relaxed and gave a nervous smile. "I just wanted to make sure you're not being too dangerous," he confessed. I scooted to the chair beside him and gave him a glare.

"Yolric... You are in so much..."

"Vanya outdid me..?" Xavier interrupted. When I looked over at him, he almost looked flushed. "How... What..."

"It was just an herbal bath thing," I told him. His expression turned more shocked.

"I was outdone... By a bath with plants in it..."

"She had to get naaaked!" Eldrid chimed in, flying circles overhead. Darren's laughter was loud and boisterous at the comment as Xavier still worried over Vanya and Yolric worried over my wrath.

"So, what's this ritual about tomorrow? I'm too lazy to want to pick it out myself," Darren asked after he had calmed down.

"Vanya and I are going on a few jobs that are quite a bit aways day after tomorrow. The ritual is supposed to grant us luck and power when we need it the most. The power depends on who we choose to perform for. The only problem is that we're blindfolded, so who is chosen is by luck," I explained. "We're supposed to invite the whole guild. I'm just so nervous about it that..."

Suddenly Darren was on top of the table, took a big drink of his beer, and threw it across the room. "Hey, everybody! Vanya and June are doing some voodoo dance tomorrow night, and everyone has to come watch it! You've never seen better performers in all of Fiore, right, Hot Head?"

I reached my hand out and tugged on his pant leg. "Please... Sit down..," I whispered embarrassingly. Before I knew it, he had grabbed my arm and pulled me on the tabletop with him.

"Come on, Ladies and Gents! Don't you _all_ want to see a Forge God Slayer give you a show?" he continued, spinning me around. When I was turned to face him again, I couldn't help but stumble into him. Dizzily, I looked over at Xavier. He made a fist with one hand and pointed to his stomach with the other. I briskly nodded and made a fist of my own, cladding it in metal and flames. I reared back and, as hard as I could, punched Darren right in the midsection. He stumbled backwards slightly before falling off the table. While taking a sip of his drink, Xavier caught the neck of Darren's shirt. He set his mug quietly down on the table, gave a two-finger salute, and drug my unconscious teammate back to his room.

"Wow, what a show! I'll have to give the loser a hard time tomorrow," Cana shouted from across the room. I gave a sigh and sat down on the wooden tabletop. Eldrid instantly flew into my lap and curled up. I petted her back as I saw Natsu, Happy, Erza, and Lucy walk over out of the corner of my eye.

"What ritual thing is he talking about, June?" Erza questioned.

"Will there be food?" Natsu chimed in. Lucy rolled her eyes and gave a sigh at his comment.

"It's pretty much for safe travels and extra power when needed. The whole guild is supposed to come and watch me and Vanya. Long story short, we dance and then pick someone from the audience and perform for them specifically while we're blindfolded," I briefly explained. Stars appears in Erza's eyes as I told than all.

"You must choose me. Rituals are so intriguing to me, and being involved in one would be wonderful," she spoke, almost to herself.

"She said she'll be blindfolded..," Lucy muttered. Erza looked slightly crestfallen at this realization.

"Believe me, Erza, I would choose you if I could. It would be much less awkward than all of the other possibilities," I confessed. I looked down at Eldrid to see she was asleep and continued to pet her.

"Awh, come on! How bad could it be?" Natsu asked loudly. We all looked around the room and set our sights on who would be the worst to dance for.

"Macao..," Lucy chimed, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Droy would be something else..," Erza whispered.

"If Gildarts was here, he would get a kick out of it, but that wouldn't make it that great for ya..," Natsu chuckled.

"Makarov... As nice as he is... Dancing for the master would not be enjoyable," I spoke. I saw eyes shift over to the elder and he drank and then give a shudder.

"And the worst of them all, the one that would throw everything off and make everyone cry with disappointment... _Lucy_!" Happy told us theatrically.

" _I'm right here, Cat_!" she shouted.

"What a grump... See what I mean?" Happy leaned in and spoke to me. I covered my mouth to hide my laughter while Natsu openly displayed his amusement.

"Truthfully, I don't care who you get as long as it's not me," Yolric chimed in. I looked down at him shocked as he gave me a meek smile. "I mean, my power isn't something that I would want to protect you if you got into a bind. I'm not saying I can't be useful, but I know how you're more of a fighter. My ability is more of a flight over fight thing. Besides, it's just a ritual. I know whoever is chosen is more by luck than anything."

"Yolric..," I sighed.

"You're in a guild now, Man! Learn new magic if you want. We'll all help you if you want it," Natsu smiled. I looked up at him and couldn't help but blush slightly from how supportive and optimistic he was. From Natsu, I looked back down to Yolric, who was chugging the last of his beer. He had been so joyful when I had watched him from afar, but now he looked so dejected.

I scooped Elle into my arms as she slept and hopped off of the table. "I'm going to take this sleepy girl and head to bed. Want to come with me?" I question, bumping my hip against his shoulder. He gave me another meek smile and stood with me. Yolric waved goodnight to the others as we made our way up to the room. He was quiet the whole way up. I racked my brain on what to say but was speechless.

When we walked into our room, Yolric immediately stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the bed while I gently placed Eldrid in her cage and switched off the light. I slipped out of my pants and crawled into bed with Yolric, intertwining my legs with his and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"What's wrong, Bright Eyes?" I finally spat out. He looked at me, eyes tired and concerned.

"I'm going to be stronger for you. I know I'm not a God Slayer like you and that's fine. I want to be a stronger man to protect you, though," he told me slowly. This was so odd, even for Yolric. I moved my hand up to his hair and began to play with it.

"You're plenty man enough for me, Yolric. It's one thing to be a man to fight with the power of dragons or gods, but it's another to be smart enough to use what power you have and still do what is necessary. You're golden, Love," I crooned, slowly moving my hand to his cheek and stroking it. He took a moment and looked behind his shoulder to Eldrid's cage where she soundly slept.

Without warning, he rolled himself on top of me, propping himself up in his forearms. His fingers began to lace through my short, black hair, coldness began to flush my face. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me. Before I could kiss his lips, he moved to the nape of my neck, kissing and giving a gentle bite.

"W-what's this about?" I stuttered out, blushing immensely. I heard him chuckle as his tongue traced back up to my lips.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Ms. Lex," he whispered before kissing my lips. My heart was beating out of my chest, but I couldn't help but kiss him back.

"Yolric..," I breathed out before hugging him to my chest. When his body was close to mine, I could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest.

"I'm not going to do anything," he whispered. "I just want to kiss you."

"Well, I'm comfortable now, so you're not really allowed to move," I replied quickly, holding him tighter. He gave a laugh before we both drifted off to sleep.

"Ah, June, you seem to be glowing," Vanya grinned the next afternoon. She had instructed me to meet her about an hour before the event began in order to do some last minute preparations.

"Funny, funny," I muttered. I glanced down and saw tanned cloth in her hands. She gave me a smile before responding.

"Your attire for tonight. You may go ahead and put it on so you will be comfortable in it by tonight's festivities," Vanya explained, handing me the garments. I looked around, shrugged when I saw no one, and began to change my outfit in the open. As I put the soft fabric on, I realized that it was a two piece. The top half haltered around my neck and covered my chest with tassels hanging from the bottom. The bottom was a short, simple skirt with the same tasseled design. Neither part hugged my body, making it easy to see underneath either piece. The last article I noticed was a small anklet with turquoise gems all around it. I ran my fingers over the smooth surface of the stones.

"You will continue to wear that until after our journey. That is what will contain the power that you gain," Vanya told me, noticing my fascination. I gave her a nod and put it on. "Now, I shall go change, myself. I have the same attire, only I will be wearing all of my jewels." With that, she headed back into her tent.

When I knew she wasn't going to come back out, I looked around Vanya's camp. It was now almost five times the size it had been in order to make room for the guild. Tree stumps were scattered everywhere for seating, a big fire pit sitting at the heart of it all. Torches were strapped to some of the trees, flameless. I snapped my fingers and lit them all at once, colors ranging from white to purple. I walked over to the fire pit and hopped onto the stones that surrounded it. As I walked around and balanced on its edge, a large red and orange flame arose from its middle.

I stepped down after a moment and looked into the fire. Even before I truly realized my abilities, I remember being so fascinated by flames and their warmth, only now fire chilled me to my core. With most of my skin now bare, the flames gave my flesh a coolness that only they could give. One that was satisfying and comforting. Despite this, I longed to feel what fire really felt like. It was rare that I felt heat, and it was never as intense as people claimed fire was. I just assumed they were exaggerating.

"Madam, would you mind helping me?" Vanya's voice rung from her tent. When I turned to face where she was coming from, I saw her rolling a barrel, almost bigger than herself, out of her shelter. Cana was going to need two more of those just for herself. She was now clothed in the same attire I wore, only gems hung from a head chain, wrists, and ears as well as her ankle. "I have some spirits and seating for our chosen members that must be placed out."

I gave Vanya a nod and went to get another barrel of booze only to find that she had at least thirty of them all in her small space. As soon as I was able to take in how much was actually present, my wheels began to turn until an idea popped into my head. Extending my arms, many other arms of metal began to form, each one able to carry a single barrel. I backed slowly out of the tent, each metallic appendage following me. Vanya raised one eyebrow at me as I lowered my arms next to the barrel she had rolled out, making each of the containers rest gently on the ground beside each other. With a wave of my hand, my creation disappeared.

After that, preparations were simple. Vanya had constructed two intricate chairs for those we chose to perform for. Other than that, it mainly consisted of final practices of the ritual. Vanya insisted that I sing first, which I repeatedly tried to steer away from. At the end of the day, though, I didn't really have a choice. Before the crowds flooded in from the guild, I was given a strip of black fabric that would be used to shield my eyes from knowing who I chose.

When the first stars began to appear, people began to show up. Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Leo, Erza, and Grey were the first, Leo of course using his own magic to come see the show. He told me not to worry about him, though, considering that he would be too far in the back for me to possibly choose him. That calmed my nerves slightly, considering I knew how Yolric would react.

As Natsu attempted to eat the multicolored flames, more and more people began to show. Surprisingly enough, my team was amongst the last. Darren was already slightly intoxicated along with Cana, who always handled her drunken state much better. Yolric and Xavier both turned bright red when they saw me, the previous visibly much more so.

"You're blushing, Guys," I commented as Yolric wrapped an arm around me.

"You're barely clothed," Xavier replied, raising one eyebrow. I nodded at him, admitting defeat. I heard Vanya's voice calling my name and unwrapped myself from Yolric's hold. He held onto my hand for a moment, pulled me in to kiss my cheek, and then let me go.

"Have fun," he smiled, still red. I blew him a kiss as I walked off to Vanya, who was standing beside the center fire. When I got to her, I looked around the crowd. The whole place was completely filled, the whole guild must have been present. Some of them continued to stand and talk, but most of them were seated, most all with drinks in hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I even saw Eldrid perched in a tree, preening her feathers.

"Ready, Juniper?" Vanya questioned, beginning to tie the cloth around her head, covering her eyes. I smiled and gave her a nod as I walked over to the opposite side of the fire and did the same. As the crowd noticed us covering our eyes, a hush fell over them. My heart was beginning to beat out of my chest, but I could not outwardly show my nervousness. I held my hands out, palms face up, and let fire surround them in spheres. I took a steady breath, began to slowly walk forward, and sing.

"o na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje,

bai na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje.

Don't keep on wanting money,

People have loads and they're never happy."

I could hear sighs from the audience, mutterings from the men and tension from the women. My hips gently swayed as I walked, my hands controlling the fire within them. Vanya then picked up where I left off. Her raspy voice contrasted my smooth one as she belted out.

"o na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje,

bai na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje.

Don't keep on wanting money,

People have loads and they're never happy."

At the sound of Vanya's voice, though she sang the same words I had, the feel around me changed. I felt a lively yet calm and content field around me from both the men and women. Vanya and I paused for a moment to let the crowd hold onto our words and movements. And then, at the exact same moment, Vanya and I sprung back into action.

My hands still holding flames, I clasped them together for a moment before quickly pulling them apart. I felt a metal staff form, my fire lingering in spheres at both ends. Giving the scepter a small throw, it landed vertically with my hands grabbing the middle of it's cool metal. Picking it up with my right hand, I began to rapidly spin the flaming metal in between my fingers. I willed the fire to change from red to orange, orange to yellow, yellow to white. When the white flames had settled in all of their bright brilliance, I began to briskly walk over to where Vanya had started out. In the blink of an eye, I thrust the staff into the ground and flipped myself over the top, narrowly missing the fire. I did this about three other times without my prop before I was at the audience's edge. I heard small gasps and exclamations of awe as I did so. I gave a smirk at this; I was actually enjoying myself for the time being.

After a moment, I dashed back over to where the staff still stood and reached my right hand around to the other side of it and stepping my left leg across. Vanya's cold hand latched onto mine and I could feel her ankle cross my warm one. We bowed our heads and began to sing, this time together.

"o na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje,

bai na kar maan rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje.

Don't keep on wanting money,

People have loads and they're never happy."

After the last word was said, I felt the gems on my ankle begin to treble and emit a brisk coolness. It began to tug me away from Vanya, off to my right. At the same time, Vanya and I pulled away from each other, going swiftly to wherever the charms took us. When I got to the edge of the crowd once more, it continued to pull me, willing me to go into the masses. I stood straight and danced through them on the balls of my feet. I felt my hips brush past shoulders, my feet narrowly missing other's.

Then, as soon as the pulling started, it stopped. I gently brushed my foot in front of me, feeling a tree stump. So, whoever sat here was supposed to help me out for the next three jobs, huh? I hoped that they at least had a sense of humor about what was about to happen. I gave a small bow and reached out my hand. After a moment of hesitation, a strong hand grasped mine. Obviously a man. I stood straight and led him back to the center of our makeshift stage. I heard uproars all around me, but I had no idea if it was from my pick or Vanya's. I tried to single out the voice or the man I had picked, but he never spoke or even let out a chuckle.

Soon, I was able to feel the chair's leg brush against mine. I slung the wizard whose hand I held into the chair, expecting to hear at least a startled gasp. Nothing. He was going to make it hard for me to figure out who he really was, and that alone did me in.

Not taking our blindfolded eyes away from our selected audience, Vanya and I began to circle around them. I heard Cana's cheers of excitement from the other chair. At least Vanya knew who she chose. I reached my thoughts out to Darren, asking for at least a hint as to who I picked. All I received back was static. Clearly, someone was distracted.

After circling the two three times, we stopped once again in front of our person. I crossed my ankle with his. Long pants. Not too uncommon for this time of year, I guess. I set my hands on his knees and worked my way up his legs. A nice, expensive fabric. I could feel his knee begin to bounce and give a small sigh. Still, I was unable to hear it enough to tell who exactly it was.

My hands continued to wander up his chest, my body scooting closer to his. I felt that he had more than one layer of clothing, also not uncommon for this time of year. He felt tall, which ruled out Makarov. His chest felt toned, but not extremely muscular. I rested my hands on his shoulders and pulled my body even closer to his, sitting in his lap. I drew my face close to his, close enough to feel his breath on my skin. His strong hands began to wander up my bare back, and I could feel my face grow cold from blushing.

Hands began to trace his neck, up into his hair. Wiry, spiked, and crazy. My ankle that still crossed his began to grow frigid, the power from him beginning to course through my body. I slowly began to bring my hands back down to his shoulders, but my hands brushed against something on their way down.

Glasses.

Long pants, expensive fabric, caressing of the back, crazy hair, and glasses.

He brought my ear to his lips with one hand, the other still holding my back close to his body.

"You might not want to take the blindfold off, Junie," Leo whispered, giving a small chuckle.


	15. Dance

When I heard Leo's voice, I slowly removed the blindfold. His defined features and his smug smirk glistened in the firelight. Though he wore his typical smile, there was a certain look in his eyes that confused me completely. Despite the fact that he held me, smiled at me, and even gave me a small chuckle, his eyes looked remorseful. The look of sorrow made my heart give a saddened pang. I cocked my head to the side in questioning, but he just gave me a wider smile.

"Not right now. Later," he whispered. I gave a nod before he continued. "Now that you have the power of a celestial spirit, you could get up. Only if you wanted to, though, I have no preference." My cheeks chilled once again as I quickly removed myself from Leo. He stood with me, pushing up his glasses. I looked over at Vanya as she did the same, Cana stumbling upward less than gracefully. The gems on Vanya's ankle now glowed a dark red. I looked down at my own to see a white brightness being omitted.

"We could not have had better timing, Miss Juniper," Vanya grinned, taking Cana's hand and bowing with her. I was about to just walk away when Leo grabbed my hand and pulled me down to bow with him. The crowd roared with applause and shouts for the four of us. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Yolric was going to kill me.

When I was finally able to stand straight again, I scanned the crowd for my team while Vanya instructed everyone to drink and stay as long as they pleased. There were so many people that it made me dizzy trying to locate one of three faces. I felt Leo gently grasp my wrist. I looked up to see the sad look still resting in his eyes.

"Why can't you tell me?" I questioned him.

"You need to catch up with your teammates. They're on the stream's border. Meet me at Lucy's place when everything dies down a little. Just tell Yolric you have to clean up or something before you make it back," Leo explained. After a little hesitation, I gave a nod. I hated being so secretive, but something important was going to be said. He kept my eyes for one last moment before he vanished back into the Celestial Spirit World.

"Hey, Hot Stuff! Looking for us?" Darren shouted from behind. I quickly spun around and saw him waving at me, Yolric and Xavier at his sides. They all looked cheery, even Yolric. I ran over to where they stood at the banks of the river. Yolric opened his arms for me and picked me up when I ran into them. His smile beamed up at me as he held me by my waist. It was intoxicating, one that made me instantly at ease.

"You guys seem awfully happy despite the crude showcase that just happened," I mused. Yolric lifted me onto his shoulders and held my ankles.

"Seeing girls dance on each other always makes me happy," Darren shouted out above the partying masses. I couldn't help but laugh at his bluntness. "Sorry I didn't respond to you, by the way. I was way too excited to be using magic."

"He did hear you, though. He even told us you were wanting some hints as to who you picked. We tried to get him to respond, but he sort of went brain dead at that point," Xavier explained.

"Not like that's any different than usual," Yolric said, just loud enough for me to hear. I giggled at the comment and Darren's being blissfully unaware. "Seriously, though, I could tell you were just doing what Vanya had told you to do. You should have seen your face when you found out it was Leo."

"I was mortified," I confessed.

"We could tell!" Darren chimed in. I gave another laugh and patted Yolric's head for him to let me down. As soon as my feet were on the ground, I clicked my tongue to the roof of my mouth. Almost instantly, Eldrid swooped down from her perch and rested on my shoulder. Like always, I began to scratch underneath her beak. I felt Yolric's arm wrap around my waist and pull me close.

"We're like a little family!" Eldrid chirped out. I looked up at Yolric and couldn't help but smile when I saw his beaming face. No alcohol was on his breath; his eyes were not glassy… He was just purely happy. And here I thought he was going to be furious at Leo when I finished.

Then it hit me. He was happy that I was able to choose someone that he felt was strong. Was that the reason he never liked Leo? Did Yolric feel as though Leo could protect me better than he could? It felt like a crazy thought, but a crazy thought that I felt was completely accurate. I bit my tongue against saying anything to Yolric about it, I couldn't bring myself to upset him.

Holding back my words carried on for the rest of the night. The whole guild talked, danced, and laughed around the fire. Those who would usually pick fights were cordial with each other. Natsu and Grey joked around happily, jokingly picking on each other. Gajeel and Levy sat close, Gajeel composing out of tune music and Levy blushing. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else was to be determined. Vanya and Elfman were even speaking; I was able to catch Vanya's occasional smile at Elfman's boasts of being so extremely "manly". It was a peace like that I had never seen, one that made my heart swell with pride. _This must be the joys of being a part of a guild_ , I thought to myself.

The crowd started to dwindle as the night carried on. It was around midnight when my own team decided to pack up and leave. I told them what Leo had advised me to say, which worked flawlessly. Yolric gave me a kiss on the forehead before departing with the other guys. Xavier waved as we parted ways and Darren shouted over his shoulder was he carried a drunken Cana back to her room. To make myself feel better for telling a story, I began to pick up empty mugs that were scattered along the ground as Vanya and Elfman continued to talk. After some time, I said my goodbyes to the two remaining people and made my way to Lucy's apartment. I had no idea what Leo wanted to say to me, especially in secret. What could have made him so gloomy?

When I finally found Lucy's place, the door opened before I could knock. Leo's head poked out from the darkness as he held a finger to his lips.

"Come in quietly. We should be fine to talk in whispers, though; she's a heavy sleeper," he spoke in a hushed tone. I nodded and walked into the small room. Directly in front of the window looking out was where Lucy lay, gentle noises of sleep escaping her lips. I followed Leo to the farthest corner of the room where we sat side by side, our backs against the wall.

"You've never been this secretive, Leo. You're worrying me," I confessed.

"You have always worried me, June," he countered, giving a small smile. I looked at his face, appearing as if it knew everything I didn't, in confusion. "Do you remember what was happening when we met? Anything at all?" I thought back to when I met him. The memories were blurry, but I remembered being in somewhat skimpy clothing. I remembered being with Oberon and always having to do what he said. I remembered Leo saying that he was going to save me. When I told Leo this, he gave a small flinch.

"That's not even half of the story, Dear," he muttered.

The stars see everything. They see the triumphs of the weak and the failures of the strong. No matter the situation, we try our best not to intervene. However, with some special cases, it is wrong for us not to do something, anything, to help those in need. In June's world, it is more acceptable to help outside of a contract than it is in Earth Land. Juniper Lex, only thirteen when I first met her in person, needed help. More specifically, she needed help from me.

A year before, she had left home, no longer wanting to endanger the small family that she held dear. She had left in the spring, a time when traveling is not difficult and is even rather pleasant. She hunted and harvested, slept and thrived. When the stars looked upon her, we were pleased. A child that had enough instinct to survive on her own with her abilities. So from spring, summer, and through fall, she slowly began to master her power with no assistance. Of course, there was the occasional time that she messed up, but to us, it just gave us an innocent laugh. Half the time, she would laugh, too, as if she knew we were there chuckling with her.

We loved this sweet girl of the land. We watched her through the seasons.

Then, winter came.

At first, she was fine. The cold did not bother her much. She stored and saved food when she could, took shelter when things became too bad. But as the winter wore on, food ran out. Her clothes became worn and tattered. She remembered the warmth and love of home and of physical company. For days on end she would weep, but there was nothing at the time that we could do to help. We had to give her a chance, let her push through this hardship. She was almost to the light at the end of the tunnel when Oberon appeared.

As she slept, curled beneath a tree in the snow, he came upon her. He looked so innocent, his heart full of pure intention. When he saw her, he knelt down in front of her and gently shook her shoulder. I remember watching her eyes flutter open, grow surprised and then full of joy. Despite this, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The Celestial Spirit King poked fun at me, saying I was jealous of this boy. That was when I started keeping my mouth shut, only watching and keeping my thoughts to myself.

Oberon was only a couple of years older than June. He came from a wealthy family; his father was a scientist, his mother a doctor. While the married couple seemed to have relatable jobs, the mother only wanted to heal people. The father, on the other hand, prided himself on dissecting new species. All his father wanted to do was find a species with a unique power or ability and find out how it ticked. This influenced Oberon so much that he began to have the same dream as his father.

June heard of these dreams first thing upon meeting Oberon's family. She told herself that she would never show them her abilities and that she would leave as soon as the cold winter was over.

Only instead, she fell for Oberon.

At first, Oberon fell for her, too. They were such an innocent duo. He would do small favors for her, bringing her roses or holding her hand. June loved this, she had been without compassion for so long that she did not ever want to leave his side. But as she stayed with Oberon, her pent-up power began to grow. Eventually, she decided that she had to practice somehow. So, when the moon rose to its highest point in the sky, she would sneak out of the house and go into the woods. There she would train her body, mind, and abilities. She was content at that time, being in love and able to practice what she held dear in the calmness of the forests.

One night, though, Oberon woke as she was leaving. Following far behind her, he discovered her true power. The innocent and pure look in his eyes changed to a look of evil and lust. It was at this point that the stars began to squirm. Despite this, our king told us to hold on. She still had a chance to flee, he still had an opportunity to contain himself.

Instead of fleeing, June fell deeper for Oberon.

Instead of containing himself, Oberon released his urges.

When his parents were away, Oberon would try his hardest to seduce June. He would make it to where she could not get away from him. He would start by kissing her lips, distracting her as he tried to undress her. Every time she would feel his hands on her skin and try to shy away, only to be hit across the face. It was through this abuse that Oberon hoped that she would defend herself with her powers, but she never did. She never wanted to hurt the boy who saved her from the woods, in turn hurting the family that treated her like their own. That love is what kept her there despite the hitting, despite the undressing, despite the hatred.

Still, the stars held off. The king seemed to think there was still a chance for June to defend herself. I remained quiet, waiting for a time that he could not refuse to send help.

That was when Oberon made a misstep.

One bleak night, when Oberon's family was out on business, he presented June with an outfit. A sky blue bra and electric yellow underwear, nothing else. At first she refused to put it on. She said things were getting out of hand and that she wanted to leave. That was when Oberon grabbed June's wrists so tightly that she instantly began to bruise. With an eerie calm, he told her that she was not allowed to go anywhere. That he was going to show the world what she could do. Well, show the highest bidder what she could do. To her horror, he began to explain how things would play out. That she was to do this for him until he decided to take his turn with her. After that, he would do as his father had always wanted and see how she ticked on the inside.

She was too stunned to cry. Too stunned to scream. Instead, she only nodded and put on the garments. As she looked at herself in the mirror, now thirteen, she saw all of the marks of hate that danced on her skin. She knew she was stuck. She had no other options or she would die.

It was at this point that I pleaded with the Celestial Spirit King to let me go save her. Even if it was to just get her away from this evil boy, I had to help her. As we conversed, Oberon took June to the darkest part of the closest town where men came to bid on exquisite women to spend the night with. They paid thousands for the right girl, but they would pay millions for June when they figured out what she did. At the last moment, the king told me to not only go to her and save her, but to stay with her until I found someone suitable to protect her. I quickly agreed as he sent me to where she was being auctioned.

I hurried in as the next to last woman was sold on her own free will. It was then that Oberon came out, his arm latched to June's. She looked confused but unable to truly think for herself. For a quick moment, she locked eyes with me. They begged for help, for mercy. I gave her a small nod before her eyes shifted around the rest of the room.

"Gentlemen, while this lass might be young, she has powers that very few will ever see in their lives. Juniper Lex can wield powers few have ever seen. I discovered her abilities one dark night in the woods as she danced, thinking I could not see her. For a price, you, too, may witness what she has in store. Give them a show, my ruby," Oberon gestured with movements and a voice that were years ahead of his time. He then jumped from the stage, leaving June alone and unknowing. I could see in her eyes that only one thing had registered with her, and that was that she had to give her audience a show.

Mindlessly, June began to sway her hips in a manner she clearly did not know was seductive. She swayed closer and closer to the ground, then working her way back up. When she looked out at her audience and saw they did not have the reaction Oberon wanted, she put the palms of her hands out face up. I felt my heart drop as sparks began to appear out of thin air.

"Three million for her," I shouted out calmly, hiding my true emotions. Every person in the room turned to look at me, including June, as I sat cool and collected. June clenched her hands to her chest, frightened at the sudden high bid. There were no more objections or bids to my offer, and I heard as Oberon pronounced June as sold. I watched as the color drained from her face, as her hands began to shake. I walked over to the stage where June stood, paralyzed. I held my hand out for her so she could step down, which she did ever so slowly. The fear of what was yet to come radiated off of her. I held her young hand as I went up to Oberon.

"Hand it over and she's yours for the night," he grinned, holding out his hand. I opened my coat and reached inside where a check conveniently appeared, already made out to him. As soon as I took it out, Oberon greedily snatched it up. He snatched June by the arm and pulled her close to his ear. "Be good for the man, will you? And come back to me when he is finished," he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. She briskly nodded as I led her out of the darkness of the room. As soon as we were outside in the bleak alleyway, I took off my suit jacket and wrapped it around her small frame. She looked up at me, hazel eyes wide.

"P-please don't hurt me..," she whimpered, beginning to shake harder. I took my hand from hers and wrapped it gently around her bruised shoulders. I began to speak to her as we walked.

"I won't hurt you, June. It was never my intention," I told her in a soft tone. She continued to look up at me, shocked and confused.

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Well, right now we are going to get out of town. When we're far enough away, we'll grab a bite to eat before we travel like you used to. Does that sound okay to you?"

Her eyes began to gleam with hope.

"You're going to save me?"

"I am."

"What's your name?"

I hesitated for a moment before responding.

"Leo," I confessed. Instantly, she halted. I turned to look at her before she jumped and latched her arms around my neck. After a moment, I returned the embrace. I felt her frame quake, my shoulder grew wet.

"You're the one that I had dreams about," she whispered, crying. "I knew you would come for me. You're from the stars, they never left me alone."

I pulled back and looked at her, now confused myself. I could practically hear the other spirits exclaim in shock. "Y-you knew?" I sputtered out. For the first time in ages, I saw her smile as tears continued to roll down her face.

"Of course I did! Especially you… I knew you would come for me, Leo."

I sat numbly as Leo finished the story of my past. I had no idea how I could not remember those events before, but now they rushed back to the forefront of my brain. I rested my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands. My head throbbed, my heart ached. I felt Leo's arm wrapped around me as it had so many years ago. I let him pull me into his side as I continued to sit in confusion.

"It's amazing how so many things change, yet so many stay the same," he murmured. "You are so strong, June. You want to fight instead of run. And yet, you still have that same look of innocence and confusion that you did so long ago."

"Only around you," I mustered. He let out a laugh before responding.

"You would be surprised, June."

Silence.

"So that's why you were acting that way tonight?" I asked, looking up at him. He gave me a small nod.

"I never wanted to see you do something like that. Something that I tried so desperately to keep you from."

There was a long pause between us. He saw me as his little sister, and he had always been like a brother to me. It was odd, though, it felt as though we were closer than siblings, at least in my eyes. We had always known what the other was thinking, but maybe that was because he was a spirit. Maybe I just thought too much about things.

"So, you're wanting to figure out people's pasts, huh?" he spoke.

"H-how'd you know?" I stuttered. Leo let out a small chuckle.

"You would have never done something that seductive to a mystery person if you were not trying to get closer to Vanya. I don't mean that in a bad way, you're just trying to get to know her, as well as the rest of your team, better. That's understandable," Leo explained. I nodded in agreement. He had a fair point. "Well, I figured you might need to know some of your own past first. You will figure a lot of it out on your own, I'm sure. You will start to ask questions and the answers will reveal themselves to you. That's how you have always been."

"If you say so," I whispered after a pause. He let go of my shoulder and stood, reaching out a hand in order to help me up.

"You should probably get some shuteye before your big journey tomorrow. Go cuddle up with Yolric before he gets too pissed at me," Leo mused as I took his hand. I rolled my eyes at his smug smile that had returned to his face. I looked up at the clock before I left.

One thirty in the morning.

I gave a brisk wave before running off to my own room.


	16. Frost

"So, remind me again what the plan is?" I asked Vanya as the two of us rode on the train, our small amount of baggage resting beside us. Eldrid perched atop my duffle bag, looking out the window and shifting from foot to foot. The scenery outside contained brisk leaves and joyous towns zipping by.

"We shall go to three different tribes of the land. Each has an issue that plagues them. At this moment, we are journeying to the Frost Tribe of the mountains. Legend has it that three serpents appear from the snow and snatch up women accompanied by children. Twenty women and thirty-two children have gone missing in the past two and a half months. Though they cannot offer much of a reward, saving the future of a village is indeed rewarding," Vanya explained. Every part of me agreed with her. It was so terrible that these events had taken place. After a moment of going over what Vanya had said, a small detail came to mind.

"Vanya… How long have we been living in this world?" I cautiously questioned in a hushed tone. Vanya looked out the window in contemplation and took a moment to think.

"It's not because of us," was all she replied. She seemed agitated at my question, but I had no idea why. I would have to keep my mouth shut in regards to that; Vanya was literally a beast when she got angry.

The rest of our hour long train ride was nothing but small talk. In fact, Eldrid was more talkative than anyone else. Vanya, despite the fact that she tried to appear as though she was not upset, was still obviously so. Why was she so upset at a simple question? Not only that… But were these happening that we would hopefully resolve our doing? My gears kept turning, searching for some sort of answer. Even by the time we got off the train and started hiking up the snowcapped mountains, I had not come to a conclusion.

"Lady June, would you mind using some of your fire? It is quite cold out here," Vanya interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head to clear it and looked over at my teammate. Though she was strong, I could see her toned frame quake. I noticed that Eldrid was perched on my shoulder, her wings wrapped around her body with only her head poking out. I was actually fairly warm, but obviously I was a tad different than the other two.

"Right, I'm sorry!" I responded. I held out my hands and let flames dance around in my palms. Immediately Eldrid perked up and Vanya began to relax. A small smile began to form on Vanya's face, just enough to be noticeable.

"Warmth is so soothing. Thank you for your gift," Vanya spoke softly. I felt blush rise up to my face before I could even think of a response.

"Y-you don't have to thank me! R-really!" I stuttered out. Vanya let out a small chuckle, but said nothing else. It was so funny, when Vanya was in the elements, her mood always changed drastically. It was as though the icy winds had blown away her frustration. I couldn't really blame her, though. I could be that way to an extent.

We hiked up the mountain for close to two hours before we were able to see any sign of life. The wind would range between brisk harshness and a gentle breeze. Despite this, I was able to keep Vanya and Eldrid warm enough to where they didn't even flinch. At last, fresh footprints and paths dug into the snow assured us that we were on the right track. It was at that point that Eldrid flew ahead to scope out the village. After about twenty minutes, she returned to us with a fish in her beak.

"Theh arr exhited ta seeh ush!" Elle slurred as she ate her food. I couldn't help but laugh at her childlike demeanor. Vanya didn't so much as smile.

"How far away are they, Eldrid?" Vanya questioned, all business.

"Ahbout twhoo mhiles."

Still giggling, I outstretched my arms for her. She instantly flew into them, and I began to cradle her as we walked. Her soft breast feathers were still warm from my fire, which I now extinguished due to the low wind. The beautiful mass of feathers got as close to me as she could when she swallowed the last of her fish. I began to look around the landscape, seeing nothing but white openness behind and on both sides of us. However, trees began to pop up ahead of us, eventually expanding into a wide forest far up ahead. My stomach churned as soon as I saw that forest, it was as if I knew that where our foe was.

Within the hour, we began to see a large wooden gate on the horizon. It was wide open with many people standing and waiting. As soon as Elle noticed them, she flew over to greet them once more. As Vanya and I got closer to the village, we began to see that they all wore the same coats that seemed to be lined in the tan fur of some animal. The women's coats were more like dresses, the babies only had their heads poking out from them. Each was a variant of green, ranging from almost black forest green to a lime color. When we were close enough, I noticed their fire red hair that blazed from underneath their hoods. Not one blonde or brunette was among them. When I was able to see their faces fully, there was one more similarity between all of them, but I could not quite pick it out.

When Vanya and I finally stood in front of the group, an older yet sturdy woman stood at their head. She was the only one with grey in her hair, but red streaks still stood out. She was holding Eldrid, who had been given another fish. I had a feeling that by the end of this journey, she would be well overweight.

"You must be the wizards this kind bird was speaking to us about," the old woman smiled.

"Indeed. My name is Vanya Moriko, and this is Juniper Lex. As wizards from Fairy Tail, we would be honored if we could assist you in eradicating the Serpents of the Snow," Vanya introduced. As soon as she mentioned the guild, the people's faces lit up, all except the older woman. She only looked relieved.

"As long as you are not that Natsu fellow, I feel as though we are in good hands," the woman sighed. "It is not that he is a bad wizard, but we do not like to… Leave more traces of humanity than we have to."

"We completely understand!" I chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I suppose now I shall introduce myself. Come, let us walk to my hut and speak there," the elder spoke, releasing Elle so she could fly to me. As soon as she was perched on my shoulder with the remainder of her fish, the three of us followed the woman through the crowd of people. I noticed that there were far more men than women and children, and obvious sign of what had been occurring. However, it was through walking amidst the people that I finally realized the last similarity; each citizen had one piercing blue eye and one brown. It honestly made me feel stupid for not noticing it sooner, but I suppose I had become immune to strangely colored eyes after Yolric.

Three different fire pits were in the small village, all ablaze. They were all natural flames, not a stitch of magic keeping them aglow. It was around these large pits that small huts were scattered about, all looking very similar to each other. A few of these huts were obviously shops, having a wider opening and goods displayed out in front of them. Other than that one small detail, though, the only other different housing was the woman's. The difference for hers was the fact that it looked as though it had the space of five huts put together, with her own personal fire in front.

"As you have most likely already guessed, I am the leader of this village," she explained, ushering us inside her home. Quilts were spread all across the floor, a platform with a far more extravagant one towards the back. Torches on either side of the stage lit up the whole room. As the woman took her seat in that same spot and we sat below her, she began to tell us the village's story.

"My name is Dew Frost. I come from a long line of tribal leaders, all of which carry the Frost name. My sole priority is protecting these people, my family. For generations, we have lived in the mountains without so much as a conflict, even between the people that live together. Being so high up and causing so little trouble, we never have outsiders coming to harm us, even despite all of the trouble that lies in the world just below the mountain. That is, until this Serpent of the Snow came upon us. This conjuring of nature has taken countless women and children, three of which being my own. At first, we believed that these two groups of people needed to be accompanied by men in order to protect them. That being the case, my husband, two sons, and a handful of other men offered their aid. Since we have put out the job request to wizard guilds, all but one man has perished because of this serpent. The only reason that we know what is taking our people is because we have had one child, two women, and one man return after encountering it. Oddly enough, only two accounts of the sighting are the same; one woman and the man saw serpents of the same size, taking people with it into the snow without leaving a trace, but having different markings. This being the case, we are under the impression that there is not one, but three beasts that must be slain."

Vanya and I paused, giving ourselves a moment to take the whole story sink in. I felt Eldred shaking slightly in fear, but standing tall and brave on my shoulder. This story sounded so familiar to me, I just could not for the life of me figure out where I had heard it from. However, I didn't let that keep my thoughts for long. Whatever this thing was, it was more dangerous than I had originally thought. After a minute of thinking over the words that were said, something hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Mrs. Frost, you said these serpents were taking people down into the snow. Is it at all possible that they might still be alive?" I questioned her. Dew looked at me with momentary shock, but then quickly turned to immense grief.

"Through I have entertained this thought, I do not believe that it is possible for anyone to survive. Some people have been gone for months with no food, others that have been recently captured would have immediately returned home had they escaped. It is truly futile to hold on to such blessed thoughts," Dew spoke, just barely loud enough to hear. Just hearing her speak like this made my heart ache, but something inside me said that she was wrong.

"We shall embark on this mission at first light tomorrow," Vanya began. "As for now, if you have not already, it would be wise to instruct the villagers not to stray outside of the perimeter until this whole ordeal is solved. We will help you." Dew nodded, giving regards of thanks and understanding, before leading us back outside. Once back into the snow, the three of us were taken to our shelter for the night, where food was freshly cooked and sitting out for us. We thanked Dew for the hospitality before she left and we began to eat.

"Do you believe her, Vanya?" I asked, taking a bite of what appeared to be rabbit.

"What aspect, Ms. June?" she replied, mouth full.

"That everyone is dead."

Vanya swallowed her food and looked up at me. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, one that she always wore when she wanted to set out to do the impossible.

"It would be close-minded to believe that we could not bring over sixty people back from the brink of despair, now would it not?"


	17. Serpents of the Snow

The next morning, Vanya and I rose before the sun in order to come up with a course of action. It seemed as though all we had to do was walk out into the woods for a while in order to draw the attention of one of the creatures. That part seemed easy enough. However, we needed to find out if there were any survivors. That meant we could not immediately take out the serpents, but at least one of us would have to go down with it.

"If we could get all three to come to us at once, that would be the best… But how we make that happen is beyond me," I pondered. As Vanya began to brew us some hot tea, I could see that she was in deep thought.

"Is it not true that no one in this village has power outside of physical strength?" she questioned after a long pause.

"I suppose you're right..."

"Well, maybe if we show one the power that we as wizards possess, the other two will appear. If that does happen, I will act as though they are too strong for my abilities. One will take me down with it, you can distract the other two, and I will do whatever I can in order to find any survivors and rescue them," Vanya proposed as she brought me a cup of tea and sat on the floor in front of me. I, for one, did not at all like the idea. So many different things could happen to her, things that I could not prevent unless I was by her side. "You are worried for my safety, Lady June. I see it in your eyes," she added.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Vanya. I don't doubt your strength in the least, but going into the snow with an unknown creature and no assistance does not sound like a great idea," I explained. Vanya looked at me, a glimmer of what looked like happiness in her eyes. She then reached out and put one hand on my shoulder.

"With my transformation abilities, I can change into a creature that is able to get all of the civilians out at once. Do not be uneasy about me, Juniper. No matter what, I shall find a way back to you. Trust in your comrade."

I held Vanya's eyes for a moment. I knew I could trust her; there was never a moment when she did not have a level head. With a sigh and a nod, I reluctantly agreed to her plan. We then prepared ourselves for the cold, Vanya bundling up and me wearing as little as was acceptable. I woke Eldrid and wrapped all but her head and wings in a scarf that Vanya had brought along. As the sun rose and the village still slept, the three of us went into the lair of the beasts.

"What do I get to do, huh?" Eldrid chirped as she flew around our heads.

"Just stay out of reach, okay? If anything starts to go wrong, fly back to the tribe. Let them know what's going on. If we don't come back by nightfall, get to Fairy Tail," I explained.

"Of course, I do not think that we will need any help in this situation," Vanya smirked, reaching into her pocket and taking out a deck of cards. "Our victory is in the cards. I read them last night as you slept. Though our victory may come with struggle, we are to win."

Well, I guess Cana's Card Magic did have some use to it, at least.

It was very shortly after we began walking that we all noticed the forest change. Where there had been many trees standing tall, they were now uprooted and fallen, if not totally destroyed. Every once in a while, I would sink in the snow and my leg would brush articles of clothing or toys thrown by fallen children. These observations made my stomach turn and my adrenaline rise.

Without warning, Vanya threw her arm out in front of me. I looked over at her as she put a finger to her lips and then pointed to the ground in front of us.

A circular indention in the snow where no trees grew around. It had to be at least seventy feet across, and that was an understatement.

As soon as it had registered with me what this was, a rumbling began under our feet. A deep groaning noise began to get louder and closer to us from the ground.

"Eldrid, get out of sight, but keep watch," I spoke.

"But, June—"

Before the phoenix could finish, a monster slammed through the ground's surface so hard that Vanya and I almost toppled over. It rose above us hundreds of feet, its dark green scales almost blinding with the light of the sunrise. One red band went around its throat, matching the color of its catlike eyes. I could tell that most of its body was still beneath the surface; there was no telling how much was left of the beast.

" _Fly, Eldrid!_ " I hissed out, throwing a glare up at her. Terrified of the beast looming before us, she flew away at a speed that I could only compare to Darren. I glanced over at Vanya to see that her body was beginning to change in a smoky yet bright light.

Vanya's long, black hair slicked back in order to reveal a prominent widow's peak on her forehead. The ends of her hair formed two large spirals that rested on her broad and revealed shoulders. Small dragon's wings rested on either side of her head, fully functioning. Tanned and ripped cloth hung loosely over her breasts from her shoulders and hugged her hips. Along with all of this, the right side of her body became completely covered in scales, her right eye becoming sharp and catlike, even her right hand resembling more that of talons than human fingers. Many jewels hung from her head, neck, ears, wrists, and fingers.

Vanya's Wyvern Queen.

"You're going to make me look bad," I chuckled, quickly tapping my pendant to unsheathe my armor.

"Now, Miss God Slayer, we both know you could take many other forms if you truly wanted to," Vanya smirked, not taking her eyes off of the beast.

"Fair enough," I replied, putting down my face guard, pointing the horns on my head skyward, and reveling the small wings on my back. "Shall we?"

Before Vanya could so much as nod, the monster that loomed above us bellowed out and flicked its forked tongue devilishly at us. Suddenly, the serpent lunged at us at an incredible speed. Vanya flew quickly upward, momentarily confusing our opponent. As it looked up at Vanya soaring up into the sky, I threw up my hands, commanding thick chains to come up from the ground and bind the beast's body. Before it knew what I had done, its narrow snout, neck, and body was confined to the ground. But even though the creature had a slow mind, its body was strong enough to make up for it.

The snake began to thrash underneath the grip that I had on it, so hard, in fact, that I had trouble just standing my ground. I willed flames to engulf the chains, in hopes that the heat would subdue the creature. For a split second, the serpent halted at sudden change in temperature. Then my brain began to catch up with what I was actually doing.

 _Snakes become more active at warmer temperatures, you dumb ass_ , my thoughts spoke.

With one firm movement of its head, the binding of the snake's mouth came undone. I let out a gasp at the sudden and sharp pain that coursed through my body. The creature called out again, this time louder and full of fury. Now it thrashed around many times harder than it had before.

"Um, Vanya! A little help here!" I called out. I looked up in the direction she had flown for a quick moment before noticing she was far ahead of me.

Still hovering midair, she held her hands together. Her wrists were touching, palms facing the beast diagonally. A large dark mist had formed between her human and wyvern hands, resembling a sharp and powerful set of teeth. Just looking at the spell made my stomach drop not for me, but for the creature.

Before I could focus again on my target, I felt another pain, this one much worse than the first one. A small cry escaped my lips and I fell on one knee. Looking over, I saw that the snake had managed to get off three of the chains at once. The only one that remained was the one at the base of its neck. When I noticed this was when I heard Vanya's voice ring out, commanding and clear.

"Wyvern Fang!" she yelled out. I looked back up just in time to see the completion of the spell; a jaw inlayed with a full set of large, sharp teeth heading straight for the end of the serpent's body where it arose from the snow. Seeing what was coming towards it, the snake wriggled under the last set of chains that held it to the ground's white surface to no avail.

With one bite from Vanya's spell, the beast's body was snapped clear in two.

The serpent gave one last quake before it stopped cold. I watched its eyes glaze over as Vanya landed beside me. I looked over at her as she looked at her work, almost looking unimpressed.

"You made quick work of that," I commented, lifting up my face shield.

"Thanks to you, Lady June," she replied with a small bow. I watched her eyes move from the snake's body to the hole from which it had risen from. I followed her gaze and saw that not only was there very little blood, but where the rest of its body should have been, there was nothing. Vanya and I glanced at each other and nodded before walking over to the hole. When we approached it, we saw nothing but a deep and black abyss.

But only for a moment.

Once again, the ground began to shake, only this time it was amplified times a hundred. Vanya and I were both forced to fly skyward as two more serpents arose from that same space we had both been looking down, each the same size as the first one. These must have been the same two that the village had complained of… But there was one detail that didn't match up.

"Vanya…"

"They look exactly the same as the one we just fought," she noted. "There should be two different ones coming up. This is very odd indeed."

Then came the ear-piercing noise. One so loud that it made my armor quake.

No… Not one single noise.

All around us, three more serpents rose, erasing many more of the forest in their wake. One was pure white with orange, circular marks all down its body, its crimson eyes piercing. The other two were solid black with a singular yellow stripe from their snouts all the way down their backs.

In an instant, we had gone from one beast to five.

I looked over at Vanya as she watched the creatures snapping at us from below. I saw a hint of panic and confusion in her dark eyes. I felt a pang in my heart at the look that adorned her usually strong and powerful face.

"We'll save them," I told her. Her eyes shifted over to me, the worry and doubt disappearing.

"Tha—"

Without warning, one of the black serpents lunged upward, latching onto Vanya's ankle. Before I could grab her, the snake plunged back into the white snow, leaving her startled cry echoing in the brisk air.

" _Vanya!_ " I screamed out. I dashed downward as quickly as I could, only to be blocked by the remaining four creatures. I zoomed around them, attempting to find another way, only to be continuously stopped by the maze of winding scales. " _Give her back!_ " I yelled, cocking my shoulders back to make my cannons reveal themselves. Before I could make a clear shot, the white serpent lunged for me, making me fly upward once again.

"Ah, Forged One, shall you endanger your friend in order to defeat us? Or better yet, to multiply us?" the white snake spoke deeply. At first I was surprised at his speech, but on second thought, it wasn't like I had not heard talking monsters before.

Wait… To multiply?

Before I could think about the statement further, the second black snake lunged for me just as the other one had for Vanya. Instinctually, I threw out my hand and forced large flames to engulf the beast. Again, it took my brain a moment to catch up to my actions. Instead of stopping, it only moved faster, latching onto my torso before I had a chance to fly higher. Instead of pulling me into the snow like had been done with Vanya, it only pulled me amidst the other serpents. While one held me down, two more wrapped their mouths around the cannons on my shoulders. Still not understanding what the white one had said, I fired all rounds of both cannons into the two snake's mouths. As the remainder of their bodies fell to the ground and the black snake released me in surprise, the white one continued to glare at me, a pleased look resting in his catlike eyes.

"Why the fuck are you smiling?! I just killed two of you!" I shouted at its mocking face.

"My, my. Clearly power and wit do not go hand in hand for humans," he replied. Furiously, I flicked both of my wrists, making my sword and shield appear. Before I could slay the white snake, the ground began to rumble again. I, as well as the other two serpents, paused and watched as a swiftly flying figure arose from the snow, a deck of cards in hand. The figure was immediately followed by, not one, but two other serpents.

Vanya.

She flew as high as she could to make sure she was out of reach. Even from a distance, I could see her bloodied ankle that the serpent had latched onto. Her body language told me that she had not only fought, but had admitted defeat to an extent.

Then it clicked.

"It's a hydra!" she screamed out.

I looked back over to where the bodies of the creatures I had killed had fallen to see that they were no longer there.

"Now you see," the white snake spoke. "Not even your fire can extinguish us in this world, we move quicker with the heat. All you can do is force us to multiply and take more prisoners for our meals," he bellowed.

"Not exactly," Vanya spoke from above. I looked up and watched as she shuffled her deck of cards.

Each one contained a villager.

Our victory was in the cards.

Four more serpents then rose from where I had slain the other two, making nine in all.

"What have you _done_ , you witch?!" the white snake hissed. When he said that, all of the others also realized that their meals were contained in the cards that Vanya held. I quickly outstretched my arms and then slammed my hands together.

"Cerberus' Confinement!" I called out. In an instant, a large, spiked collar brought all nine of the snake's necks together. Attached to the collar was a thick chain that grew in length until it came to my wrist and wrapped around it. When they group realized that they could not get away from each other, they began to quarrel. Only the white one kept his eyes on me.

"You have bound us like a dog…"

"Vanya, get back to the village."

"June, I am not going to leave you."

"But do you _really_ know what to do with us now?"

"I said to go. I'll be fine."

"But…"

"Our strength cannot be contained by the shackles of a mere mutt!" the serpent bellowed. He began to thrash around in within the choker; it took everything I had not to be thrown around with it. When the eight others saw what their apparent leader was doing, they began to do the same. I quickly threw Vanya a stern look. She paused for a moment, let out an angry groan, and flew back to the Frost Tribe. I let out a relieved sigh before the force of the hydra became too much and it threw me so hard that my body broke a tree clear in two.

My head spun for a moment before I was able to focus again. When I could see straight, I saw the hydra pulling the rest of its body from the snow. This reveled not only more to the length of each snake, but a large body that they were all attached to. Six legs held up all nine snakes and a bulky body that shared the colors and patterns of each serpent. I had thought the beasts had been huge before, now it was five times the size it once was.

I had gone up against many creatures in my life, but a hydra resistant to fire… Now this was a first.

With its increased size, the monster easily broke the collar in two. I bit my tongue so hard to contain my outcry of pain that I could taste blood in my mouth. My ears started to ring faintly as the chain that wrapped around my wrist disappeared with the rest of my spell. I staggered to my feet and gave a small jump to fly up. Before I was able to get out of the hydra's range, I felt a set of fangs bite into my armor, right where my wings were placed. The razor sharp teeth not only went through the metal, but also through my clothing and to my skin. Like a mongrel with a chew toy, it threw its head from side to side until my suit finally gave way, sending me flying through the air. Too damaged to be of use, the suit sheathed itself back into my pendant.

But instead of plummeting toward the ground, I felt something grab my shoulders and soar upward. Dizzily, I looked up and saw a group of blurred red and orange feathers.

"Eldrid?" I questioned. Without looking back at me, she continued to fly up until we were in the clear.

"You told me to keep watch and get help if you needed it. I'm the closest help you have, Miss June. What's the plan?"

I continued to look up at her, confused at her change in demeanor. She was usually so carefree, but I suppose she became like this when things were serious. I glanced below and watched as the hydra's continued to bite at the air below us. They were only about ten feet below; it was only a matter of time before they found a way to make us their next meal.

Think. I knew that they were immune to fire now. I couldn't just cut all of their heads off and burn each neck like had always been done. They had stayed underground this whole time, I assumed to keep themselves warm. So the cold must be what hurt them, right? It was worth a shot. If Grey was here, it would be easy just to freeze them. I had to find a different way to do that if I wanted to save the village, but how?

Click.

"Eldrid, fly up. Let me get a view of what's around us," I told her. Without so much as a chirp, she did as I asked. I let my eyes scan the area. The village was to our right, untouched forest to our left… But in front of us I saw exactly what I needed. "I have a stupid plan," I couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's better than nothing," Elle chirped back optimistically. Once again, I outstretched my arms. "June, they can break that!" Elle cawed.

"Cerberus' Confinement!" I called out, smacking my hands together once again, the ringing in my ears growing louder. Again, the large spiked collar latched itself around the hydra, only this time around its torso. Not only this, but now two chains came from the collar, one wrapping around each of my wrists. They hydra struggled again, but found that it did not have as much leverage as it had when the collar previously broke.

"Elle, fly forward! I know it seems like you won't be able to move them, but just trust me!" I shouted to her. Again, without comment, she did as I instructed. I channeled strong flames to come from the bottoms of my feet, giving us a great boost. We began to move forward, slowly but surely. The hydra began to thrash around harder, being angered by the movement.

"This will do you no good!" the white serpent snarled, lunging as hard as it could towards me. I could feel its tongue barely lick my flames. He was getting closer to us, but not for long. I held out both of my palms toward the beast, feeling great power forming between them.

 _Come on, Leo, don't let me down now,_ I thought.

"Lion Brilliance!" I yelled out. At the mention of the new spell, every head of the hydra stopped squirming and looked up at me. As soon as every eye was focused on me, my attack of unworldly bright light was released. I watched as each pupil became immeasurably small but was unable to close. After all, snakes of any kind did not have eyelids, now did they?

Stunned, not one of the heads of the hydra knew what had happened or where they were. They were blinded, at least for the time being. Acting quickly, I formed nine large swords. Still forcing flames from the bottoms of my feet, I willed the swords to slice off each of the hydra's heads. The more heads what were cut, the lighter the load became, making us move faster. Not only this, but the inability of being able to retreat into the warm underground made it harder for the heads to regenerate.

"Come on, Eldrid! Just a little more!" I called out. I could feel wind coming from every strong wingbeat. As soon as I knew she was giving it all she had, I wrapped the chains a couple of more times around my wrists and let go of it with my hands. I now shot fire as much as I could from my palms as well and the bottoms of my feet, propelling us forward at a far quicker pace.

As we plowed through the trees, I kept glancing down at the serpents. The closer we came to the area we needed to get to, the more I could see the heads of the serpents begin to bud up again. The white snake began to rise again, now two instead of one.

"You… _Fool!_ " they both hissed out at me.

Before I could respond, the trees suddenly disappeared and revealed a clearing.

With a large, iced-over lake in the middle.

Giving one final push, we slung the beast into the water. The weight of the hydra broke the icy surface of the water, its body sinking deep. I dissipated Cerberus' Confinement and began putting metal bars across the lake. For several minutes the severed body flailed around, every few seconds breaking a bar that I had put up. I kept replacing each one and adding more in an attempt to keep the monster confined.

Then, after about fifteen minutes, the thrashing stopped.

Eldrid slowly flew me to the ground where I fell to my knees, my ears ringing and my vision growing blurry. I kept one hand out toward the lake, willing the bars to stay put until I knew for sure that the hydra was dead. Sweat was dripping down my face, the cool air making my whole body burn. Now that I had stopped for a moment, I could feel where the hydra's fangs had sunk into my back. Even though I knew it would heal fairly quickly once some of my magic returned, it still stung to the point of almost making me lose consciousness.

"Thanks, Elle… I appreciate the help..," I panted, giving her a smile and she stood in the snow beside me. Her eyes had gone from serious to scared and concerned.

"Will you be okay?" she questioned, her tiny voice shaking. I looked out at the lake and saw how calm the water's surface had become; not even an air bubble came to the top. I waved my hand that had been outstretched and made each metal bar disappear before pulling myself up to a sitting position. I opened my arms for her to jump into, which she did cautiously.

"You can't get me to go down that easily… I'm just out of practice with having to use actual spells is all," I replied, still trying to catch my breath. Already my vision was back to normal, the ringing in my ears also beginning to die down. Eldrid rested her head on my leg, getting as close to me as she possibly could.

"I understand now," she muttered. I looked at her questioningly before she continued. "I understand why Mister Yolric worries about you… You do whatever you can to save people, but what about saving yourself? Someone has to make sure you're safe, you are for sure not going to do it…"

I sighed and held her feathered body closer to mine. I suppose I could understand that, too.

It wasn't long before Vanya found Eldrid and I still sitting in the snow. By that point I was as good as new; even the fang marks on my back were completely healed. On the way back to the tribe, she told me how most everyone had survived the hydra; fifty-two people were unharmed. They had explained to her that the purpose of them catching the people was for when the other animals they had been eating eventually ran out. Unfortunately, some of the people were still devoured, each one a woman. While this turn of events was devastating, the tribe was overjoyed to have so many people actually survive the attacks. They were to have a celebration of life that evening for those that had fallen and those that were still amongst the living. Vanya also explained to me that the chief's son had been able to slay one of the serpents, but that was when they realized that killing the beast was harder than they had imagined. Despite that, he was able to make it out alive. I asked her about her ankle that was now wrapped up, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

Before I could explain how the hydra had been taken down, Eldrid began her own version of the story. Even though it was accurate for the most part, she included many more sound effects than were actually involved. I glanced over at Vanya and she gave me a wink, knowing which details of the story were most likely true. Honestly, I was relieved that I didn't have to be the one to tell what had happened, just thinking about it made me exhausted all over again.

When we made it back to the village, Eldrid and I were given the warmest of welcomes. All of the people that had survived crowded around us, shaking my hand and giving us expressions of gratitude. I couldn't help but blush from the affection; I had never been good on what I should say back to people thanking me. I kept looking over at Vanya, who replied with a look of her own that said _Been there, done that_. It was after the warm greeting that the three of us were asked to stay for the evening before we left on our next job. After very little thought, we agreed to the offer.

Until the evening time, Vanya, Eldrid, and I were catered to as much as the tribe could possibly do. Warm baths were prepared, a delicious variety of foods were made, our reward of different gemstones and a large amount of silver were given. Vanya and I tried to refuse the gifts, but the treasures were all but forced upon us. Even by the time we were finished being pampered, we still had quite a few hours of daylight. The three of us ended up going back to our hut for a while in order to have some time away from all of the immense gratitude.

Once we were all settled, I sat upon one of the quilts and unlatched my pendant from my neck and gently tossed it to the ground. As soon as it hit the floor, it bounced upward and displayed my armor. The suit hung itself slightly above the ground so I could see all of the damages that had been done to it. The entire back of the suit had been shredded, the mechanical wings nowhere to be seen. Where the cannons connected to my suit was literally hanging by a wire. Even the torso of my suit was bent inward having become weak and almost punctured by the hydra. I rubbed the back of my neck, knowing how much magic I would have to use in order to get it back to how it had been.

"That's odd," Vanya began. "In our world, that metal could never be broken. You have fought a hydra before in that armor, have you not?"

"I have, and not even a dent was left," I sighed.

"Maybe the metal one can help you with that," Vanya spoke. I knew instantly that she was talking about Gajeel.

"I suppose I can ask when we get back," I muttered.

 _If he doesn't try to throttle me first,_ I thought to myself.


	18. Beast of Burden

"'Amongst the Village of the Stars lies an evil creature. This beast, sometimes taking the form of a bear and other times the form of a woman, bribes our citizens with temptation. Countless people that have witnessed this creature have fled our small forest town in the middle of the night, never to return. High payment to the wizards who bring this beast to us alive,'" Vanya read from a crinkled flyer as we made our way to our next job. We traveled by cart this time; the Frost Tribe insisted on not only providing our transportation for our job, but taking our reward from them back to the guild. Our load was so heavy at this point that the back of the wooden cart almost dragged the ground.

"Village of the Stars? I knew this route looked familiar," our driver spoke. Though we were far away from the mountain at this point, he still wore his heavy coat.

"Do you know a lot about them?" I questioned, peeking my head out of the front opening in order to hear the man better. He turned around and looked at me for a brief second before shrugging his shoulders.

"They are more reclusive than our tribe, if you can imagine that. I once traveled out there to trade with one of their merchants. Odd people. As soon as my business was finished, they sent me off without so much as a farewell. They were not rude, only very secretive," the man explained. I had to admit, that struck me as odd, too. Since I had known Vanya, I had visited many tribes and villages, all of them being very hospitable. Maybe they would react to us differently considering we were going to be helping them.

"I see," I replied, sitting squarely in the cart once more. "So, Vanya, what made you choose this job? It doesn't sound like people are actually getting hurt at all." She looked up at me from the flyer, a puzzled look resting in her eyes.

"Something about this does not bode well with me," she muttered. I waited for her to elaborate, but she said nothing else.

I looked out the side window and watched as Eldrid glided on the warm breeze. Her orange and red feathers floated softly in the autumn air. I listened as she chirped out a sweet and melodic song that contained no words but immense meaning. She looked so much happier than the first time I saw her, caged and helpless. When she saw that I was watching her, Eldrid flashed me a smile and flew back into the carriage. She perched carefully in the seat beside me as not to damage the cushions that we sat on.

"You sing beautifully, Little Bird," Vanya spoke. Elle instantly sat up a little straighter, chirping a couple more notes.

"Thank you, Princess Vanya!" Eldrid chirped modestly. I scratched Elrdid's back, making her let out a long and contented chirp.

As we rode on, the scenery began to change. We had started out in the brisk mountain air, moving at a slow pace due to the snow. Now we were moving at a very swift speed, leaves and trees only blurs as we passed by. The smell of the forest always enticed me with its mystery while also giving me a feeling of nostalgia. Most of my life had been spent in the woods, but not the same ones we now traveled through. No, the leafy canopy that I called home for a majority of my years was in a faraway world, one that I almost hoped to forget.

It was as I replayed my past in my head that we slowed in pace. I looked over at Vanya for a moment and she nodded toward the window. When I stuck out my head, I realized that we were approaching a new village, one that was far different than the one that we had just come from. Much land had been cleared away to make room for this town that seemed to spread forever in the middle of the trees that bordered it. Huts made of bark and leaves spiraled from the outside of the camp to the inside, where a large and elaborate housing structure stood with a totem pole looming in front of it. The place had a tense air about it, almost warlike in nature. The only people that were out were two guards that stood and the village's entrance, large spears in hand. As we came closer, I saw that they were very simply clad, wearing clothing made from the same tanned fabric Vanya wore, only they also had many feathers adorning their heads. Their faces were stern and unwavering. We halted at the entranceway when the two warriors blocked our way with their spears.

"No outsiders are allowed," one man said sternly and emotionless. I looked over at Vanya and nodded before we both got out of the carriage. Instinctually, the man that had spoken lunged his spear towards me. I grabbed it right before it pierced my throat, immediately burning it to ashes.

"Now, now… I do believe you are getting a little carried away," I crooned. For a split second, the man's eyes gave a glint before he backed off.

"You must be the wizards that are to rid us of our dilemma," the other man spoke as his partner backed away from me.

"That's us! Princess Vanya, Lady June, and me! I'm Eldrid!" Elle sang, bolting out of the cart and flying to my shoulder.

"Well, yes. I am sure the chief would like to have a word with you. Akio shall retrieve any luggage from your mode of transport and transfer it to your lodging. I, Haruka, will take you to our leader," the second warrior spoke. I glanced over at the Frost Tribe member and raised an eyebrow. He replied with a slight nod and a shrug. _This must have been what he meant. No real hospitality to outsiders_ , I thought.

Head down, Akio began to unpack the carriage. Vanya, Eldrid, and I gave our thanks to the man who carried us such a great distance before being led though the village. At this point, the sun was setting, giving the surrounding forest a stunning glow. However, something was amiss with the rest of the land. The civilized part of the area seemed to be shrouded in darkness. Even Eldrid seemed to notice, going from fluttering and singing to huddling into my neck. Vanya and I glanced at each other, both noticing the same thing.

"So, may you give us some background on the village as we pass through?" Vanya spoke.

No response.

Vanya and I glanced at each other again. How odd it was for Haruka to not even give so much as a nod or a grunt in acknowledgement. These people did seem off, that much seemed certain.

As the four of us came to the middle of the village where the totem and large hut loomed, I noticed two men, standing in front of the abode. One was a large and burly man, muscular and clad in tattoos. His eyes were flaming red and piercing, black and curly hair hanging down to his broad shoulders. Arms were crossed in front of his defined chest as if to show us what immense strength he possessed. The other man seemed to be his exact opposite; he was short and wiry with pale blue eyes. The shorter of the two seemed weary and concerned, wringing his hands and looking from side to side. His salt and pepper hair seemed to stand on end.

"That is far enough, young wizards," the larger one spoke. The four of us stopped in place, quite a few feet away from the two. "I assume you are all here in attempts to rid us of our beast?"

"That is right," Vanya replied, speaking cautiously.

"I do suppose your lot will do. I am Haji, and this is my brother, Gen. We both lead this tribe and attempt to protect it as best we can. It does seem that we need your assistance at this point in time, though," Haji explained, not wavering in his defensive stance.

"I understand. Why don't we discuss more details about your problems before we start our search in the morning?" I questioned cheerfully. I felt Vanya tense as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I glanced over at her and saw her head bowed, as if she were ready to face punishment.

"N-no! Absolutely not, you will leave now!" Gen shouted in such a way that made all of us, including Haruka, flinch. The only one that kept their composure was Haji.

"My brother is correct. The job flyer we sent to the guild was all of the explaining that is needed. Return by darkness tomorrow with the creature or we shall find someone more qualified to do the job. It always appears to the east of the village, so I suggest going out that way. Well, on with you, then. You have fewer hours than you think," Haji told us before he and his brother went inside of their hut. Vanya and I looked at each other and then behind us to see that Haruka was walking back to the tribe's entrance.

"These people are not friendly..," Eldrid muttered. I took her from my shoulder and held the Phoenix in my arms.

"There is for sure more than meets the eye," I responded under my breath. Vanya nodded in agreement as we began to walk east.

It wasn't long before it was too dark for any of us to see. Just as I had when we had traveled up the mountain, I willed orbs of fire to dance in my palms. Despite how weary we all were from the journey to the village, we knew that we didn't have much time to complete the job. Why we were on such time constraints was beyond us.

"Do you think they just want the bear lady gone? I mean she sounds pretty scary, and maybe that's why they seemed so unwelcoming," Eldrid proposed from atop my shoulder.

"I suppose it is possible, but the man that brought us here told us that they had always been this way," Vanya countered. "Maybe they just prefer to keep things within the tribe, which I understand. That is how my own tribe does business. However, we always show some sort of kindness to outsiders when they do business with us."

As the two continued to discuss, I looked around us. The ground showed no tracks, bear or human, and the trees had no markings that would indicate bear territory. I guess I could see how someone could wander into a "trap" like this one. Though, that being said, I had a feeling that there was no trap at all. No, there was some other force behind all of this.

"Juniper?" Vanya's voice broke through my thoughts. I took my mind away from my ponderings and looked over at her apologetically. She gave a smirk back at me. "Ah, I see your wheels turning. You must have a hunch of what is going on here."

"I just have a feeling this 'beast' isn't what is causing the trouble, but unless we return with _something_ , we will never be able to talk to the people in the tribe to get their side of the story. Did it not seem odd to you that it was early evening and yet not one person was out of their home?" I spoke, more to myself than the others.

"Why yes, I did think of that, but only briefly. The question is, what story must we conjure up in order to be able to delve into the town's history? It is quite troublesome," Vanya replied.

After Vanya's statement we continued to walk in the darkness, only occasionally making comments in hushed tones. Every once in a while, a bare footprint of a human or a dog would show up, but it was never anything too major at all. Nothing to raise suspicion. As the moon rose to its highest point in the sky, the three of us became weary. Eldrid was able to doze in and out atop my shoulder, but even this was not enough to keep her peppy attitude. Though I was tired, I was somewhat used to long nights, especially due to staying away from nightmares. Vanya seemed to have in the hardest, suddenly stopping every so often to gather her wits.

"Vanya, why don't we take a break? I know time is limited, but none of us are any use walking around like corpses," I tried to persuade her. Arms crossed, she just shook her head sternly. I sighed, knowing that there was no persuading her. I felt Eldrid's talons sink into my shoulder in frustration, her feathers beginning to puff up.

"If these people had just told us what to look out for, I could fly up and find out where this thing was, but no! There are a million bears and women in the world, and they couldn't give us one unique detail?! This job is _stupid_!" Elle squawked out. The frogs around us stopped croaking, the crickets ceasing their singing. Eldrid looked around after her outburst, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"No, no, Eldrid! In fact..," I began.

"Her wheels are turning again," Vanya chuckled.

"I guess you could say that," I smirked. "Eldrid, how good are you at flying blind?"

"S-say what?" she sputtered out. I heard Vanya give a short laugh.

"Hear me out. If you fly me up, I can light up the sky with Leo's magic. So much so that we should be able to see the whole land."

"But what difference does that make? We're still looking for one bear in the midst of a hundred, maybe even a thousand in these big woods!"

"True… But there are very few tribe members out at this hour, right? If we're questioning this village's morals from knowing them less than a day, surely there are people that are out seeking the truth after living there their whole lives. And we roughly know what attire they wear, we just need a bird's-eye view," I explained.

"I can accompany, as well. You may both be blinded temporarily with the immense amount of light, but I can keep an eye out for the person we may find," Vanya added. I nodded in agreement as Eldrid flew from my shoulder. She was wide awake now, ready for a little bit of action. Vanya began to transform into her Wyvern Queen once again.

"Come on, we don't have forever! Up we go!" Eldrid chirped, grabbing onto the collar of my shirt and flying upward before I even had a chance to comment. That was one thing I could always count on the Phoenix for, being ready to go at a moment's notice. The brisk night air wrapped around us and Eldrid and I spiraled upward, Vanya coming in close behind.

"Alright, let's see if I can remember how he did this..," I muttered to myself. I bent my right arm, fist up toward the sky. I rested my left hand on my bicep, immediately feeling a new power coursing through me. " _O, Regulus.._ ," I began to chant, " _… Grant me your strength!_ "

I threw my right hand upwards into the sky as a fierce beam of light rained down. It went into my body and ran through my veins with almost a comforting coolness. In what felt like an instant, I felt like my whole body was nothing but light. It was at that point that I balled my hand back into a fist and redirected it at the ground. Saying a silent prayer that this would work in the way Leo had always done, I opened my hand back up.

Blinding whiteness.

For a moment, I almost lost control. I quickly grabbed my wrist with my left hand, using all of my muscle power to keep the light going straight down so it would have a chance to spread outward and reveal the land. Elle's talons sank through my collar and into my neck as she tried to keep us in place. I heard Vanya's immense wings flapping swiftly around us as she searched the ground. I heard her make some exclamation but could not make out what it was. I called out for her, panicked, before I felt her clawed hand grab my shoulder.

"Keep going, Juniper!" she shouted. "Eldrid, release her!"

"Wh—"

"Eldrid, trust her!" I interrupted her opposition. Without so much as a peep, I felt her hard grip release. When she did so, Vanya's grip on my shoulder tightened as we plummeted toward the ground. My eyes were still unable to process the area ahead as I felt myself being directed around obstacles at a painfully quick pace. In moments that seemed like decades, I heard Vanya's voice ring out loud and clear.

"Found you!"

As the last of the light vanished from the spell, we hit what felt like a brick wall. The three of us rolled along the forest floor until we finally came to a halt. Vanya's grip was released from my shoulder as she was thrown to the side. I could feel my body resting on top of something, but it still took my eyes a minute to catch up with my other senses.

I heard a dog barking close by, but not in a malicious way. I smelled what almost seemed to be burning wood and leaves. My shaky hands grabbed what was beneath me. Cool, bare skin.

Finally, after straining my eyes to see, I was just able to make out a blurry figure beneath me. His clear eyes seemed surprised, his expression not nearly as hardened as the others had been.

"Akio?!" I exclaimed, pulling myself shakily off of him. He sat up and began rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It seems as though I have been found out, does it not?" he muttered, giving a weary smile.

"Found out?" I began. "What do you—"

"Akio, are you alright? Akio!" I heard a rushed female voice approach. Brush parted next to us, revealing the woman whose voice had come from the shadows. I held out my hand to form a small flame and made out her thick and muscular frame. Her brown hair rested right below her shoulders in ringlets, her body clad in think, brown fur over her chest and waist. Her eyes were round and wide in shock. Somehow, her appearance was familiar to me, but I could not for the life of me remember why. We held each other's gaze for a moment, like a wild animal and a human trying to speculate what the next move should be.

The dog barked again, this time close enough to bring rustling with it. Not long after it jumped from the bushes with Vanya and Eldrid following right behind. At this distraction, my gaze broke with the woman's as she covered her eyes. Her form began to waver, the fur that clothed her wrapping around her whole body. Hands and feet began to resemble colossal paws, ears migrating to the top of her head while growing smaller, a snout forming in place of a nose. As this happened, none of us moved. None of us breathed. Even the forest creatures stopped their movement as the bear formed in front of our eyes. When her new form had been achieved, she set all four paws on the ground, revealing the same scared eyes that were there when she first appeared. She quickly looked at all of us and backed away slightly. She wanted to bolt, but I had to say something to make her stay.

As she quickly turned around to run away, it hit me.

"Callisto."


	19. Mirage

She halted.

"You know my name. How?" Callisto mutterd from over her shoulder.

"Yeah, how does that work?" Eldrid whispered. I shrugged my shoulders and gave a chuckle.

"I have no clue," I replied honestly.

A long pause.

"Well, that's a stupid reason," Elle breathed. I had to admit that knowing this creature's name "just because" was farfetched, but that was the only explanation I could give her. She let my response sink in for a moment as the night's animals began to sing once more. After a moment, she stood on her hind legs, making her stand at least double our height. Slowly her body morphed back into that of a woman.

"You are here to capture me and deliver me to the village, are you not?" she questioned, now back to her original self. I paused. That was my job, wasn't it? At the same time, I needed to know more. Callisto was not malicious in the least. If anything, she was terrified.

"It's true that we're supposed to take you back with us," I began, "but I'm not so sure that's right."

"I was just coming to tell you about them," Akio added, the dog patiently sitting at his side. "I think they might have to ability to help us." Callisto looked between all of us, but rested her gaze on me and my fire.

"You might be right, Akio. Their hearts seem genuine. Let us all go to my den, it is not too far away," she spoke. She being walking before we could even get our bearings, making us all have to jog to catch up. The dog seemed to be the only one that could easily catch up to her long strides.

I began to think about the feeling this woman gave me. It felt so familiar, as if memories of her were buried deep within my mind. She felt to me as if she did not belong in this world, but had been here long enough to be comfortable with it. Is that how I knew her? Did I know her from back home? Maybe this was all a coincidence. After all, this was not by far the weirdest thing to happen.

"I knew your team was different," I heard Akio speak to Vanya. She was back to normal now and wide awake. I glanced back and watched her grin for a brief moment. She placed her hand on Akio's shoulder in a close and friendly way.

"I have been in your shoes, feeling as though I am a traitor. What you are doing is right, do not let others sway you. We will help in whatever way we possess," she told him. I turned back around before she could see my glance. Vanya, a traitor? I found that hard to believe, but at the same time, how much did I really know about her?

Eldrid flew to my shoulder as we approached the den, entering as Callisto gestured us to. A den was literally all it was; a rock overhang covered us, a few thin blankets scattered around a small fire. I put my own fire out as we were told to sit. Callisto sat at the head of the group, now showing a commanding yet motherly presence.

"I suppose I shall start as to what I am and how I am tied to the village," she started. Vanya, Eldrid, and I all fell silent and still, knowing that each detail would be an important one. The dog rested his head on Akio's lap and sighed as if he had heard the story a hundred times.

"As you now know, I am Callisto. I am not originally from this world, but an alternate one that very few know of. Judging from the essence you two women give off, though, I feel like you might be from the same place as I. While you all are new here, I came to this place over a thousand years beforehand. I am very close to what wizards here call 'Celestial Spirits'. In fact, I was one of legend back in your world, one that is still spoken about in today's time. While my figure is still in the stars there, I am able to walk in physical form here. This is why I chose to make the journey so many years ago; the lack of physicality in the sky grows tiresome. When I came here, I appeared at the very center of the Village of the Stars. The people saw me appear out of thin air. Thinking I was to be received as an omen, my form changed into that of a bear, as was my same ability back home. However, their reaction was the exact opposite. The people received me as a deity. They said I was a gift from the stars, vowing to me that knowing my presence was among them would be enough to keep them from turmoil. From that moment on, they did not have a leader. I stayed in the village for several days before speaking of my desires to live deep within the forest. They accepted my wishes with open arms. While I did return to the village every so often, I made my home in this den. Only those seeking wisdom have been able to find this place. And, up until about two and a half months ago, very few people questioned the village's happenings.

"Around this time, I went to the village to find it in turmoil. I stood at the edge of the village, out of sight, and witnessed two men making an uproar. These two men claimed that I was not doing enough. They said that if the village wanted true power, they were to find me and cut my body down for a sacrifice. Only then would they never have to worry, for all other tribes would tremble before the village that was able to slay their own god. Many people fell under their influence, as if by a spell. Others, however, came to me for wisdom. When I told them the truth, they decided they would rather flee than take part in my slaughter. Akio is the only person to stay, claiming to be my protector if the situation turns dire. Those two men are now the tribe's leaders. Where we have had good relations with other villages in the past, they have been recently all but cast away. It is a thirst for power that is driving all of these people mad."

A hush fell over us as Callisto ceased to speak, her story finished. My head was spinning, taking in so much information at once.

I now remembered my mother reading to me the story of Callisto, illustrating her as a mother figure. I remembered thinking for weeks on end that my own mother was Callisto, but those thoughts vanished soon enough. The story she told us about arriving at the village seemed true enough. A village overthrow was hardly a new ideal, but after so many years of peace? You would think that at least something bad would have to happen in the first place in order to spark a revolution of sorts. That's how it had always happened in the books and movies, right?

Wait. This all started two and a half months ago.

Vanya and I looked at each other simultaneously, realizing that same fact. I noticed her face had lost all of its color in the dim firelight. At first, she didn't want to believe that we were the cause of all of the destruction in the Frost Tribe. Now she couldn't deny that we had done something terribly wrong. She looked down at the ground, eyes wide in guilt. I looked back at Callisto and Akio, who were both looking back at me. The dog was now asleep, oblivious to the importance of our gathering.

"Tell me, Akio, had you ever noticed your two tribe leaders before they decided to take control?" I asked. He looked up in thought before coming to a conclusion.

"I cannot say I had. That does not speak much, however. I am not one to be a 'people person'," he replied.

"Who would be a good person to ask about that, then?" I retorted.

"The town's elders would most likely be the best," Callisto spoke. A glimmer of excitement appeared in her brown eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"You said that the village seemed to be taken over by something like a spell," I explained. "That might be exactly what has happened."

"Even if this is so, we are not able to get into the village until we have captured Callisto and brought her back," Vanya retorted. I cast a mischievous look at her, making her give me a cautious one back. "What are you thinking?"

"They say that Callisto, one they look to as a god, will give them power," I started. "But what if they have a God _Slayer_?" Eldrid let out a surprised squawk, Vanya sitting up a little straighter and squirming in her seat. The dog woke up at Eldrid's noise, ears perked. "Hear me out. Akio turns me in to the chiefs, saying that I slayed Callisto and that I admitted what kind of wizard I am. They'll be upset for a moment, sure, but then they'll realize how much more prestige killing the killer will give them. With every tribe that I have read about or visited, a sacrificing takes time to prepare for. So, if this is the case here, Vanya and Eldrid will have time to go to the elders and ask questions. If these people were born and raised in the village, then we will just have to assume your typical overthrow and get Callisto as far away from here as possible. If they're not, we'll fix whatever spell has been placed. When you two get the information, send Eldrid to me to give a signal and we'll go from there."

"What about you?! This is more stupid than the job itself!" Elle screeched out, flapping her wings in protest. Akio's companion jumped up and barked, wagging his tail. At least he supported my idea. I patted Eldrid's head and smiled, making her calm down slightly.

"I've gotten out of spots tighter than this one. I'll be fine."

The room became silent. Eldrid bundled herself up out of what was clearly fear for me. Vanya still sat rigid, almost emotionless except for her eyes which looked to be in deep thought. Even though she had not known me for long, Callisto wore the look of a worried mother. Akio strongly resembled Vanya's reaction, except his eyes appeared full of hope. The dog was still up wagging his tail in delight. At least I could see two hopefuls in the room, that made my job a whole lot easier.

"I see no other option," Vanya finally spoke to the surprise of everyone. "I will say, Juniper, you are quite reckless." I flashed Vanya a smile, which she quickly turned away from. I could tell that she was worried about what we had done to this world, as well as what I was potentially subjecting myself to.

"It seems as though the tribal girl is right," Callisto sighed. "In that case, Akio, explain to Vanya and Eldrid where to go. Work out a plan. I assume the ceremony will be in the center of town, and that is really all June needs to know. I must speak with her outside."

Akio nodded as Callisto rose. Instinctually, I, as well as Akio's dog, stood with her and followed the nymph to the den's entrance. I had to admit, I could see why the village people looked up to her. She radiated an air of motherly affection and wisdom. At this moment, though, I felt as though I was about to receive another parental trait; lecturing. I could feel myself tensing up as if it was second nature. I heard Callisto chuckle at my change in stance as the dog sat at her feet.

"You know I am about to comment on your recklessness with this plan of yours," she spoke in a soothing yet gravelly voice. For some reason, I couldn't make myself speak confidently in front of the mythical being. My stomach knotted more and more, chills running down my spine. All I could give her was a nod. "Well, you are right. I do believe this is the most reckless thing that has been done for me. On the other hand, I would do this same task if it meant saving people that I held dear. You have never known these people, though. Why do you risk your life so carelessly?" I took a deep breath and sighed before responding.

"For one, I care about people. I've always been like that. There is no sense in being hateful in this world or any other," I began. I took a moment and thought of what I needed to say next.

"And the other reason?"

"I think I may be the cause of your trouble… And I will not leave you and your people like this," I finished. I looked up at the night sky as we stood in silence. This was one thing that felt no different here than it did at home. Billions of bright orbs dancing in the sky, telling the stories that raised me. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Callisto looking at me, concerned, before looking up to the sky herself.

"Though you are their motif, you are not the cause," she spoke wisely. Her words jarred me, and I looked to her in confusion.

"How do you—"

"The stars can gather a lot of information if it is desired," she explained, still gazing at her old home. "When this began with the Village of the Stars, I went to seek information. We have our ways. I found a disturbance, a very small one, much like the one that occurred when I came to this world. I believe that was when you all came. It was a ripple, as I like to call it. Something that causes little to no trouble. That did not agitate my heart or mind. However, it was not long after that a shattering occurred. A shattering is a disturbance that has potential to shake the land to its core. This malevolence is what caused the trouble happening now."

My heart dropped at her words. Even though she said I was not the cause, the ease that one statement gave me did not amount to the discomfort that set with me now. I tried not to show my worry, but apparently I couldn't hide it well.

"At this point, it has only been troubling creatures. All except one man," she started up once more. I felt my hair standing on end. It couldn't be Oberon. "This man is who I believe is causing the trouble now. I can tell that he is not very powerful himself, but his magic has a way of convincing people. He also has a way with time." Time? If anything, Oberon was not one to specialize in time. I didn't even think he owned a watch. It hit me then how concerned the chiefs were on having us complete this job by the same hour the following day. Everything in general seemed rushed about the village.

"I do believe that you are being careless with yourself for reasons other than what you say, though I do trust they are valid, as well," Callisto changed the topic before I could question her about the man. She looked at me then, knowing resting in her eyes. "Tell me, do you not believe that your extermination would bring an end to the trouble that has been caused?" I felt my body grow cold and had to look away.

"I'm not trying to kill myself for any reason," I quickly responded.

"Ah, yes, but it lingers in your mind. Fulfill their goals for them and they shall disappear. I know that you will not end your life here, but you are pushing yourself to the brink. You may not even know your own will at this moment, but it will come apparent. You must stay away from that temptation, Juniper, because this act of what you see as liberation is just incentive for these people to move to another victim. Defeat your demons, do not indulge them."

After those words, she did not wait for my response. She sauntered back into the den, leaving me out in the dark. Just before I was going to call out to her, I clamped my mouth shut. Instead, I looked at the dog, who was now looking at me. His brown eyes cut through the darkness as his tail quivered slightly. I smiled and moved my gaze from him to the stars above. I had to admit, the thought had crossed my mind to give these people what they truly wanted. They had caused so much chaos to most everyone close to me, and all I wanted was for the destruction to end. I had to look at the other side, though. Now Oberon seemed to have interest in Erza. I had known the wizard personally for a very short time, but I knew that she was family. If anything, I couldn't let them harm her. The only way to do that was to cut them down for good.

As I came to terms with that I had to do, another thought came to mind. I looked back at Callisto as she sat with the others. She was talking to Akio, who looked to be relaying the course of action to her.

How in the world did she know my name?

I looked back up at the stars and watched as a few of them twinkled brighter than the others for a moment. The anklet I wore grew cold, but only for an instant. I let out a small laugh and rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for the lecture, Leo," I muttered to the sky before returning to the others.

The morning came before we knew it. Sleep didn't come my way, but I didn't mind. It made me feel safer being able to watch over the others as they rested. Vanya was agitated when she woke, griping about how I should have woken her to take a shift. I let the nagging roll off my back; I knew she was just worried about how the day would go. While Eldrid seemed slightly nervous, she was more back to her old self as opposed to her agitation the night before. Callisto showed very little emotion in her bear form, but I could see concern in her eyes. In contrast, Akio seemed eager to get the plan started.

Within the hour, I had formed shackles around my wrists and ankles for Akio to bring me to the chiefs. Obviously they were simple for me to get out of, but so far no one else in the village knew that. Eldrid and Vanya were to sneak into the most secluded side of the village, where they would avoid any warriors until they arrived at the Elder Hut. From there, they would get information as quickly as possible so that Eldrid could relay it back to me. Vanya, Eldrid, and I parted ways with very few words. Once they were out of sight, I gave Akio the go-ahead to take me where I needed to go.

But as we started off, I felt a cold nose nudge my hand.

I looked down and saw Callisto, still in her animal form. Akio had instructed his companion to keep the bear safe, and he had barked in agreement. Now, Callisto let out a soft grunt as I stroked her between the ears.

"I won't be reckless," I whispered.

With those words, she pulled away gently from my hand. With a nod of her bulky head, she turned and left our presence with the dog; almost disappearing in an instant.

"Come, Forged Slayer. We shall speak as we walk. Time passes swiftly this way," Akio smiled genuinely.

"Sounds fine to me," I replied, walking behind him in small strides.

Silence.

"Why care so much for our village?" he spoke in a low voice. I caught a glimpse of his face.

Now he was concerned.

"There's a famous man in mine and Callisto's home world. A truly inspiring man, an actor. One of the first of his kind, actually. His name was Charlie Chaplin. There's something he said that seems to apply to so many situations I've been in."

"What did this man say?" Akio interrupted in anticipation.

"'I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness - not by each other's misery… The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed… We think too much and feel too little'."

A long pause came as my words hung heavily in the air. For a moment, I thought as though I had misspoken. Maybe I had offended him. Were actors satanic here? I could feel a pit form in my stomach, feeling as if I had done something wrong. This never happened to me; I barely even knew this guy, and I was scared of offending him?

"Profound," Akio finally sighed, putting a stop to my whirlwind of thoughts. "He speaks truth, though. Our community used to be full of kindness before leaders, but now… It seems to be drowning in hatred."

After a moment, we began to make small talk. What's your family like? What's the most dangerous thing you've done? Favorite color? What about food?

Honestly, I preferred the option of offending the man earlier than the torture of obligated speak.

Just as I was about to break the news to Akio that I didn't really have a preferred hunting technique, he clamped his hand over my mouth. I snapped a look over at him as he mouthed the word "listen". I did as he instructed, and sure enough I heard the voices of two males along with rustling in the nearby brush. Akio and I looked at each other, took a deep breath, and nodded before he took his hand from my mouth.

"Let me _go_!" I shrieked, attempting to jerk my wrists from Akio's hold. He had to struggle to keep his grip on the ties that bound me. The nearby rustling halted for a moment before they hurriedly came towards us. Two large men came from the brush, eyes on fire and filled with hate. These two were much larger than Akio, and that alone sent chills down my spine.

"Do not just stand there, Soldiers! I found this woman hunting the beast for her own gain, I must take her back to the chiefs!" Akio shouted at the two men. They looked between each other before nodding. They rushed forward and each grabbed ahold of a chain; one that was bound to my wrists and one to my neck. Akio was shoved out of the way as they took control of me.

"Akio, I feel as though you must be joking. How can this puny wizard use this mission to aid her in any way?" the one that held my neck chain spoke. His eyes darted to me as he spoke insults. I instantly heated up the chain he held and watched a sudden look of pain cross his face. He reached with his other hand to strike me across the cheek, only to be met with my ducking and spitting in his face.

"I'm a God Slayer, you idiot," I snarled. Veins appeared in his forehead as his anger grew.

"Ikari, control yourself. It is apparent that Akio speaks truth," the other man spoke. "Come, wench. You shall meet with the chiefs over this." As we walked forward, the one whose name was now Ikari jerked the chain with all of his might.

Little did he know that his display was more amusing than painful, though I did act as if the latter were true.

The short walk we had left to the village was quiet. I would occasionally try to jerk my wrists away, only to be met with a harder tug forward. The other man that currently had no name to me seemed much calmer than Ikari did. He was all business. The only time he did speak was to ask Akio what he was doing in the forest when he was not on patrol. Akio simply said that he had a bad feeling about me and left it at that. He was met with no resistance, only a "well done".

When we arrived at the town, we were met first with resistance. More people were walking about, but very few. No one knew who I was, so a blanket of confusion covered every villager. We cut between huts and people were shoved aside as we came through. I looked back at the fallen people on the ground and saw the faces of those who were used to tyranny.

It was when a small girl came up that I momentarily broke my act. The small child, maybe around eight years old, wore a simple dress, her red hair in pigtails. For the first time since we had arrived in this village, I saw someone whose eyes were not clouded upon seeing them. I smiled at her as we approached and she stopped in her tracks. At first, she was just confused as everyone else was. Then, in an instant, a big smile spread across her freckled face. I had to look down to stop my girlish giggle.

Ikari's harsh voice then made its presence known in the joyful air we had created.

"Get out of here, you brat! Can you not see that this woman is a prisoner?! You are lucky that you are so young, otherwise we would take you, as well!" his voice boomed. I looked up just in time to see him grab the girl's shoulder and throw her to the ground. Akio instantly looked over at me, a panicked look on his face.

He knew what was coming.

Like a toothpick, the shackle that bound my wrists snapped when I flexed them. Before the soldiers knew what was happening, I made the chain Ikari held so short that he could barely grip it. His hooked nose almost met mine, his angry eyes looking into my hazel ones. In a flash, I grabbed his throat and threw him to the ground at a strength so hard that the surface gave way. I watched as the air in his lungs was forced out of his body and was somewhat pleased. I looked over at the little girl who was still on the ground, her face now dirty from the earth she had landed upon. Her mouth was gaping wide, but her eyes beamed with excitement.

"Are you alright?" I grinned. She was mid-nod before her eyes focused behind me. Keeping my eyes on her small frame, I balled my free hand into a fist, cloaking it in fire. I thrust it backwards as hard as I could and felt my flames barely lick bare skin. I glanced back and saw the all-business soldier who had stopped on a dime at the sight of my power. Akio remained standing in awe in the same place as I left him.

"Are you to execute us in front of a child that you desire to avenge?" the man spoke, his expression emotionless. I forced my flames outward, making him step away from me.

"If I catch any of you doing such harm to a child again, your life will be the last of your worries," I spat back. The man opened his mouth once more to speak, but a far different voice came forth.

"Chikanori, resist the urge to speak," a familiar and masculine voice spoke.

I looked behind the newly named soldier and saw two more men. One masculine and strong, one wiry and frail. Upon seeing them, I released Ikari and lowered my fist from Chikanori's throat.

"How convenient for you to show up," I mumbled at the chiefs. Chief Gen wrung his hands in an uncontrollable fashion while his brother Haji crossed his bulging arms and stood straighter.

"Akio, what is the meaning of this?" Chief Haji snapped. Akio jumped, shocked by his leader's harshness and attention.

"I-I caught her hunting the beast for herself! She is a slayer of gods!" he stuttered. Gen stopped playing with his hands and Haji's arms fell to his side. They both looked straight at me in a way that made my whole body feel numb. Something was wrong, more so than I had thought before.

"Akio, bring her to our hut. We must find reason in this unfortunate display," Haji spoke flatly. He and his brother then turned around simultaneously and walked in the direction of their home. Akio and I looked at each other, confused, before following.

As we moved out of earshot from the other two troops, I heard Ikari's gasping for air.

My stomach turned as soon as I entered. The inside of the hut was nothing compared to the Frost Tribe's leader's. A fire resided in the space's center, a wall of mud and clay stagnant in the middle of the room. I assumed that behind that wall was where the chief's rested since there was no sign of comfort present otherwise in the damp room. The fire did not reach the walls of the room, making it seem endless. The chiefs both stood, as still as the wall they held their back to, as we entered. In this moment, they seemed to be one unfeeling entity.

"I do not like this," Akio whispered, looking about the room. I could tell that he was trying to find some sort of comfort in this place, but the only source he could find was the open doorway behind us.

"Ah, Akio, we do not prefer you, either," Chief Gen called from his position. The flames lit up his face and made it almost seem hollow. How could the weak man have heard Akio's quiet voice; I had barely made out the words, myself.

"W-what do you mean?" Akio stammered. The chiefs began to walk in opposite directions around the fire, emotionless eyes continuing to rest on us.

"Tell us, Akio, how is Callisto?" Haji questioned, his voice low.

My heart dropped. How could they have known? I looked over at Akio, his strong figure suddenly so small. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The central fire's flames caught the corner of my eye as the two walked closely beside it. Stretching my arms out wide, I urged the fire to expand. Instantly, heat and light consumed the room. The chiefs were immersed in fire where they stopped in their tracks.

But only for a moment.

I saw their heads turn towards each other before returning forward and walking once again.

"June, the walls..," Akio barely spoke.

I looked to where he indicated with a shaky finger.

Streaks and splatters of blood.

Raising my hands upwards, I willed chains out of the ground to latch around the still-moving figures. As soon as the metal met skin, my body felt hot. I looked over at Akio, his finger still pointing at the tainted walls.

"Akio, you have to run. Find Vanya, now," I told him in a calm voice. He looked at me with resistant eyes, but nodded anyway. I felt the wind off of his body as he fled my side.

Before I even had a moment to think, I heard a gasp behind me. I quickly turned and watched Akio's body fall to the ground just mere feet from the exit. A visage stood crouched above a gash in Akio's chest as it oozed a red liquid. Even through my chains breaking on the chiefs, an act that would usually cause some sort of hurt, I felt numb.

"A-Akio?" I asked the air, as I walked towards him. As my mind grasped the reality of the situation, my legs felt less like lead and more like feathers. " _Akio_!"

Ignoring the figure that stood in front of me, I fell to my knees beside the man that had only wanted to help his people. His eyes were frightened and clouded, his skin soaking with perspiration. My hands rested on his wound, trying their best to apply pressure. There was no way I could heal this man, especially without Xavier and without having anything to do with his injury. A burn, I could fix… But not something like this. I felt my whole body begin to quake, but all Akio did was smile as he tried to breathe.

"Save the Village of the Stars," he gasped. I found one of his hands and clutched it as hard as I could.

"You're crazy if you think I am going to do this job without you!" I blurted out in a harsher tone than I actually meant. He only chuckled and gave my hand a light squeeze.

"Nonsense. I must go join the stars in the sky now. I have done what I can for Callisto, may she guide me home and you to your victory." His voice was shaky and soft now. My eyes grew wide as I watched him breathe one last breath.

He was gone.

All I could hear now was my heart beating out of my chest. My ears rung, but not out of using my powers too much. They rung in a hatred and an anger that I could not control. I didn't even have to look; I knew my hazel eyes were now crimson. One word broke the sounds in my head.

"Mir-ir-age, mir-ir-age!" I heard a faint, sing-song voice from outside call out. Mir-ir-age? What did that mean?

Before I could figure it out, I felt hands grab each of my arms with an unworldly strength and pull me to my feet. My whole body felt a numbing heat. I looked to the people whose hands held me only to find two men that vaguely resembled Chief Gen and Haji, their bodies burned beyond repair. Their faces held no pain; rather, they held a lack of feeling at all.

"Ah, yes, another young man gives his loyalty to a mythological mutt. Pity," I heard a new, clear voice ring.

Only, this voice was not new to me.

The visage that had hung over Akio's body now walked over to the nearest wall, running his bloody hands down it. I saw now that I was closer that this man was almost the opposite of the villagers. His skin was lightly tanned, his brown hair combed perfectly. Despite the fact that the fire's light was not blinding, he wore wire sunglasses that took up most of his face. He wore a black vest with matching dress pants and shoes. Underneath the vest he wore a plain, white, oxford shirt. He was quite literally the picture of class, but it wasn't until the fire glinted on a chain that hung from his vest pocket that I remembered his name.

"It's Benjamin now. I felt as though it fit about as much in this world as you do," he turned around, flashing me a white smile.

"W-what are you doing here? H-how did you know it was me?" I stuttered. He chuckled as he waved one of his still-bloody hands. The two men released me and stepped back before I could finish them off.

"Now, June Bug, you know you've missed your childhood friend! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have embarked on your journey into self-discovery. How long has it been?" he continued to smile, taking off his sunglasses to reveal light blue eyes. The eyes of someone who I had known and loved when I was still a normal girl, but also the eyes of someone I never wanted to see again. "And besides," he continued, "who else could your old friend Oberon send into this world that would be able to recognize you by your aura alone?"

I felt my heart stop. So the dream wasn't just a dream. They were not all here yet, but they would soon enough if I didn't stop Ben.

""Mir-ir-age, mir-ir-age!" I heard once again from outside. I saw a panicked look show in Ben's eyes for a split second before he was back to his collected self. Why was he nervous?

Then it hit me. The fact that the chiefs were so robotic. They had survived the flames and broken through my chains. When they touched me, I felt a ghostly heat.

These men were not men, but a mirage.

Was this Ben's power here? Or was he a mirage, too? If my abilities could not touch them, then what could?

"Ah, seems as though we have been found out," Benjamin sighed. "I'm sure the city is being evacuated now. What a pity, I was having fun being a puppeteer. Regardless, I could still take down the messenger. Gen, Haji, go take care of whatever pest is outside, will you? June and I have some catching up to do."

I turned around and saw the two nod in sync. They each held out one hand into the air. I heard Ben chuckle and saw him wave his hand out of the corner of my eye. With that one gesture, weapons appeared in each of the mirage's hands. Gen was given a bow and a pack of arrows, Haji a whip that seemed to extend for ages. Once again they nodded and made their way for the exit. Without a second thought, I formed chains around their ankles once again. They both turned to me and cocked their heads to the side in confusion as Ben cackled.

"Oh, June, have you not learned? These are not your normal mirages," he spoke between laughter. "They are personifications of different parts of me! They cannot be contained or destroyed unless you are able to destroy the part of me that they reside in or make me take them away, which is very unlikely. These two can cause as much destruction as I want them to, but never feel an ounce of pain. Isn't it just lovely?" As he finished his words, the two casually lifted their feet and broke the chains that bound them to the earth. There was literally nothing I could do to make these beings go away on their own.

But Ben was the one controlling them. I had wanted to hurt him for some time. Mine as well take advantage of that.

I willed the fire that still billowed behind me to move forward. Ben let out another triumphant laugh as the flames came forward, but abruptly stopped when he saw it wrapping itself around his feet. He gave me an angry look as I smirked back at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the mirages flicker ever so slightly.

"What do you think you are doing, Juniper?" Ben crooned as the heat began to seep through his shoes. He began to shift from foot to foot in attempts to lessen the sensation.

"Giving you what you deserve, old friend," I retorted, beginning to walk towards him. I ran my finger across his wrist and made a burning piece of metal form and chain him to the earth. He let out a heavy grunt followed by labored breathing. Again, I could see a shift in the mirages. They stood frozen as if they had no idea what to do. Ben flashed a painful glare their way.

"Don't just stand there, get her!" he hissed at his creations. The two slowly turned their heads toward me and nodded. Gen swiftly took out an arrow and set his bow. I held up my arm and formed a large, metal shield before he could release his weapon.

Seconds later, I heard it whiz by my head, making a sharp sensation hit me right in the stomach.

I couldn't understand. How was that even possible? How could an arrow pierce through metal?

Before I could search for an answer, I felt the sharp, snapping sensation of a whip as it wrapped around my ankle. I looked up for a split second and saw Haji flash me a crazed grin. I hovered my hand above my ankle and forced an intense flame to burn through the whip. Before I could get through, I was flung into the wall that separated the hut in two. My body broke the wall and it crumbled around me as I lied on the ground. Barely comprehending what I was doing, I began to burn the whip once more. Again, I was hurled back to the other side of the room back where I had been and was thrown to the earth so hard that I broke through. It was then that the tightness of the whip was released from my now aching ankle. Shakily, I propped myself up on my arms just in time to see Gen grab another arrow. I looked over at Benjamin and watched as he began to laugh. If he wasn't a wizard, I would have already successfully burnt him to the ground.

Then it hit me.

I willed the chain to pull Ben in front of me. As I pulled myself up to stand behind him, I formed a blade in my hand and placed it at the base of his chin. I could feel the tenseness in Ben's body as I threatened to cut his throat wide open.

"Call them off," I whispered in his ear.

"You and I both know you do not have the will to kill. That's all me," he sneered back. I pressed the knife closer to his throat, making him jump slightly. The creations flickered. I saw Ben's hand move to his pocket where he pulled out the silver chain.

On the end of the chain was a pocket watch.

I felt myself freeze up. He brought it to where he could see and pressed the small button on its side. The covering of the watch opened to reveal many winding gears. In the middle of these twisting and turning mechanisms rested a dark blue glowing orb. In an instant, I remembered what this was used for.

"My, my, Juniper, would you look at the time?" he crooned. "I do believe it is time for me to go."

The gears started to spin faster and faster, the orb growing brighter. I willed the metal gears to contract and break, but the one nonmetal part of the watch kept me from being able to control the rest of it. The metal cuff and chain that held Ben to the ground shook and then broke into pieces. The mirages began to flicker slightly before they vanished into thin air. Even the walls inside which we stood began to fade and disappear. I couldn't let him go. Oberon couldn't find out. I had to buy some time.

And then, it was over.

All at once, the hut was gone, as were Ben's creations. The dirt and earth that had been below us was now wild grass. Above was a blue sky and bright sunshine. A crisp breeze blew through the air. Not one soul was in the small village now, and somehow, it was more full of life now than it had been when we had first arrived. I looked over and saw Akio lying peacefully in the grass. Was it his soul that gave new life to this land?

Or was it the life I had just taken from Ben?


	20. Betrayal

"Hey… Are you okay?" I heard a voice ask from behind as I sat alone. I sat upon a large rock that was largely covered by vegetation and brush that no one knew about except me. I came here when I needed to be alone. This time, it was because I had been shunned yet again by the others. I came here to cry, to snivel, to feel bad that I was unlike everyone else. When I heard that voice, I was scared and quickly wiped the tears from my eyes before replying.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" I as I turned around to face the person behind me. "Shouldn't you be with everyone else?" I questioned back.

Ben sat next to me and sighed. "They don't know I'm here. If they knew I was here comforting you, they would think we were doing gross stuff."

"Like holding hands?" I asked, shocked.

"Worse… Kissing," he whispered back. We both made disgusted noises. Kissing… That was the grossest thing in the world. How could anyone do that? "Look... I'm sorry," he started up again after a moment. "They shouldn't have kicked you out from playing. It's okay if you like to play tag with the boys. Girls don't play fun games, anyway. And… I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you when they pushed you around."

I looked up at him as he looked away from me. I could tell that he was embarrassed. He was never like this to me, he only wanted to act cool in front of his friends. I had known him forever, and he had always been like that. When his friends pushed me around, he would stand in the back and watch. Sure, he would always go and tell a teacher later, but he never stepped in and he certainly never told me he was sorry.

Suddenly, Ben looked straight at me.

"But I promise that you will never cry again if I have anything to say about it! Starting now, we have each other's backs. Even if we're on different teams in tag or across the room from each other in class, we'll always be there for each other. Does that sound good?"

I didn't know what to say. Someone having my back? My mom was the only one that was ever there for me it seemed like, but now I had someone else to help me, too? He didn't even know about my powers. Heck, I barely even knew about them. How could he help me if he didn't even know all about me? At the same time, though… I needed someone that could be there for me when mom wasn't.

"Yeah, I would like that! Thanks!" I smiled up at him.

For a while, we were as thick at thieves. No one could mess with me without hearing from Ben. Because of this, people began to see that I wasn't so bad. I didn't have cooties; I was just a girl that wanted to play with everyone else. Soon, I began to have more friends than just Ben. Granted, I didn't have a lot of friends, but I had enough to be happy. Even though I made more friends, Ben was still my go-to. With me having very little control of my abilities, it wasn't too long before I got comfortable enough around him to slip up. When this happened, of course I had to tell him the truth. Surprisingly, he took it well and promised not to tell. It was at this point that we became ten times closer than we had before. We finished each other's sentences, we laughed at jokes that only we knew… It was the perfect friendship.

It was at the end of the school year that everything changed.

Benjamin and I had been sent on an errand for our teacher. We got to go all the way to the school's library without a teacher to return some books, check out new ones, and go back to class. An easy trip, but one that very few kids got to do alone. We were told to "take our time," so obviously, we took that to the biggest extreme. We packed up our backpacks, books in tow, and set off. After the long trip through the hallways and a quick trip to the library's reception counter to turn in the old books, we took our time looking for books we thought the teacher and other kids would enjoy. I went straight to the astronomy, mythology, and magic while Ben gathered materials on time, science, and illusions. I always thought of him as an extremely smart kid, and the fact that he could wrap his head around all of that at such a young age was amazing to me.

When we finished gathering the books we thought were interesting, we sat in an old reading room that no one ever used. We had to double and triple check that the books that we were getting were not super boring, because let's be honest, we completely judged these books by their covers. As I was flipping through a book on Orion, I briefly glanced up and noticed Ben was flipping through a book that looked far too old for either one of us to read. The book itself was thick, the cover brown and rough. It reminded me of something a scholar would read. Not only this, but he kept looking from the book to his lap, almost as if he was occupied by other things.

"Whatcha reading, Ben?" I questioned in a singsong voice.

"Oh, this? It's just something that the English teacher mentioned a while back. Every time I get to come to the library, I pick it up and read some. They won't let me check it out because they say it's too big for me. It's not that hard, though," he replied without skipping a beat. I slowly closed my own book, suddenly intrigued by his small act of rebellion.

"Can I see?" I asked again, sitting up straighter. He looked up at me and flashed a smile that made my small heart skip a beat. He closed the book up and began to shuffle through his backpack as I looked at the ancient cover. _Julius Caesar._ Come to think of it, I had heard of this book, too. In some of my mythology books, Caesar had been mentioned. Surely this was the same guy. I began to flip through as Ben paced around the table.

"Caesar was a cool guy. He fought a lot of battles and was one of the best generals ever. He even made an Empire all for himself. Isn't that cool?" he explained, stopping occasionally, to look around the room.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" I smiled. This book was written in such a strange way, I wondered how he could understand it all.

"Do you ever want to use your power to make your own place? To make all of those mean people feel like they're small?" Ben questioned. I looked up at him, shocked that he would bring up my powers in school.

"O-of course not, Ben… That's crazy. This was written a long time ago. People don't do stuff like this anymore," I whispered, suddenly feeling small myself. Ben stopped and smiled at me again.

"If I had power like you… I would make everyone that hurt me pay," he said flatly. I was starting to feel uncomfortable around him for the first time, but I couldn't just leave him here. We had to go back to class together.

"Ben… Has someone hurt your feelings?" I asked slowly. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Never. Everyone has always wanted to be my friend. But with you… People are only nice to you because I'm around. If I told one person about your powers and then left… That would be it for you," he explained. At this point, I felt my heart beating out of my chest. What was he talking about? What had gotten into him? It took all I had to keep my powers from coming forth out of fear.

"W-what..," I sputtered out. Ben walked back over to his spot at the table. He began to rustle through his backpack again, while at the same time shoving all the books he had into the floor. Before I could say anything, he revealed a bottle of grey and black powder, pouring it on top of the pile of paperbacks.

"Listen. I put a note in one of the books outlining your 'plan' for this visit. The librarians are flipping through the books we turned in now, so they'll find it soon. When they do, you will be exposed for what you can do. That is, unless you build your own empire," he casually explained. Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches and something else. Something… Silver and round. He took out a match and began to strike it, getting a small flame to appear on the first try. I finally shot up out of my chair, looking around the room for an answer.

"Julius Caesar… He was a great man from what I read," Ben continued to talk, holding the lighted match and shoving more books into the floor.

I couldn't go out; the librarians would catch me for whatever "plan" Ben had made for me.

"But there was one problem… He didn't have any loyal followers."

There was the fire exit, but I was a good kid… Could I run away like that? Surely they would know I didn't do anything, right?

"… You don't either. You're going to get found out."

I looked over at Ben, tears in my eyes.

"Not… You, too, Ben..?" I begged.

He laughed harder than I had ever seen before. It almost made me sick.

"'Et tu, Brute?'" Ben said between laughter.

He dropped the match on the pile of books and powder. The fire started out small, but grew bigger and bigger at a rapid pace. I held out my hands and tried to will the fire to go away. No good.

"Yes. Me, too."

I fell to my knees, hands still outstretched and trying to stop the flames. I looked up at Ben through watery eyes and saw him take the silver item and open it up.

"My, would you look at the time? I really must get going," he stated in a casual manner. As soon as he said those words, his silver trinket began to glow, as did his body. I took one of my hands and reached out towards him. I couldn't let him go… Even if he did this, he was my friend.

The flames were getting higher and higher, almost as tall as Ben was. He looked at me and grinned a terrible grin.

"You're not the only one that can do something special," he spoke over the crackling flames.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

It was at that moment that I began to hear panicked voices from outside the room.

They knew.

Before they even made it to the room, I was long gone.

As Ben's crumpled figure lied upon the earth, everything we had been through together ran rampant in my mind. He was what began my endless struggle all those years ago. So many people would literally kill for a moment such as this to gain revenge. This one retched person threw me into a world of loneliness, struggle, and despair. He killed an innocent man that wanted nothing more than to help his people. But on the other hand… How weak and frightened would I have been if he had not done what he did? I wouldn't be skilled, a team of my own would be but a fantasy. I killed the one that started it all. His blood wrapped around my hands like a maroon silk.

"June..?" I heard a shaky voice question. I slowly looked over and watched as Eldrid landed hesitantly close by. Her eyes were wide, almost like a child whose innocence has been compromised. She made her body as small as possible, trying to hide herself from the scene. My eyes moved from her to my stained hands and back again.

"I-I… E-Eldrid..," I sputtered.

"Eldrid! Juniper!" I heard another voice call out. I turned toward it to find Vanya running towards us, a pleased look on her face. "Oh, good, you are both safe. The village has been evacuated. I met up with Callisto, and she is to clear everything with…" She trailed off as she took in the area around her. As soon as she saw Akio's lifeless body, tears glistened in her eyes. Her look of heartbreak was soon followed by shock and anger when she saw Ben's body at my feet. " _He_ did this? How is he here? … Did you kill him?"

"I-I… Ben… He made the leaders… Killed Akio… I-I couldn't let him escape… H-he was going to tell..," I stuttered, my legs shaking. Numbness overtook my body, and my words ceased. This was the first time someone's death was on my hands, and the gravity of it took my breath away. Vanya looked at me with unwavering and motherly eyes. She walked carefully over to Akio and knelt over him. She clasped her hands together and mouthed an inaudible prayer. She did so in silence for a couple minutes before waving her hand over his body and picking him up with ease.

"I will explain this to Callisto and the tribe. I know how to deal with the death of a soldier. The criminal that you have slain deserves to burn, and I believe that you shall handle that yourself. Eldrid and I shall give you the space to do so. Come," Vanya instructed. Without so much as a peep, Eldrid flew alongside Vanya as she carried her burden.

Here I was, once again alone with Benjamin. Vanya was right, he did deserve to burn. Not just for me, but for what he did to so many others. He was mad; all he had ever wanted was to be on top. Before his death, I suppose he got his wish. I looked over his body, clad in such fine clothing that probably cost more money than I had ever seen. At the end of it all, though, my eyes rested upon the last item his hands held, the pocket watch. I slowly squatted down and looked at it closer. The blue orb was no longer lit, but it pulsated in a way that made it seem alive. I glanced over at Ben, placing a couple of fingers under his nose to make sure his breath really was halted. With hands still shaking, I picked up the trinket that lingered in his lifeless hand. I clenched the warm metal tightly and rose, putting it in my pocket.

"'The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones'," I spoke to Benjamin's lifeless body. "I know that you had good inside you… But it dies with you. And for that, I am sorry."

With one snap, his existence went up in flames.

For a moment, I felt both free from his clutches and consumed with sadness. I continued to make the fire more and more intense, hoping that it would bring a more rapid end to it all, but the feeling still lingered when he was nothing but ash on earth. My head kept screaming, _He killed an innocent man, let him burn!_ , but my heart cried out _There was something else… He couldn't control himself._

After a short while, the three of us met back up. Vanya had cleared everything up with Callisto and the villagers, who were undergoing a range of emotions. Callisto had implored Vanya to take some type of reward in the form of money or transportation, but she denied. Honestly, I would have done the same, even though Eldrid seemed bummed out that we had nothing to show for what little good we did do. Callisto was not shocked over Akio's death, saying that Akio's dog began to whimper and howl a bit after we left. All at once, the animal stopped and walked away from Callisto; no matter how much she called out to him, he kept walking into the distance. She said she believed that he was going to join his owner in the stars. She assured Vanya that she would stay until the Village of the Stars was back to how it had been. Who knows, maybe she would stay for good this time.

We left as soon as we possibly could, and it was when we left the town on foot and Eldrid soared above us that I told Vanya mine and Ben's story. She had encountered him a time or two and knew he was bad news, but she had no clue how far back we went. Vanya was silent through the whole thing, nodding at certain points. She was not shocked by the story's ending, but I did hear her give a large exhale. A long silence between us followed, the somber air contrasted by Eldrid's singing.

"You did not have to tell this story to me," Vanya finally spoke. I was taken aback by her words, spoken in a firm yet sincere tone.

"I-I know I didn't…"

"Then why did you?" she interrupted. I had to take a moment to think. Why did I tell her everything? I didn't owe her an explanation. I could have just carried on like nothing had happened. Why didn't I?

"I don't want you to lose faith in me, Vanya," I began, my voice low. "What kind of person would I be if I just killed someone and then went about my day? I don't even remember killing him, Vanya… I just remember being terrified that he would get away, and…"

"You were scared for us," she interrupted again. "He was once your companion. If your life was the only one in danger, you would have let him go just as you did back then. People rarely change unless their situation changes. Even with your lack of control when you were young, you would have had the capacity to stop Benjamin from escaping. You cared for him too much to put him in danger, too. You now have a group of people that rely on you, Juniper. As such, you had to do that task."

I didn't know what to say. To be completely honest, I thought she would have the complete opposite reaction. I thought that she would bring up Akio's death and say how irresponsible I had been. Maybe she knew that I was already devastated over his loss of life and didn't feel the need to rub it in. Regardless, I was grateful. Even though breathing still wasn't easy, her words eased me some.

"Now, let me inform you of our final job of this journey," Vanya continued, pulling a flyer from her pack. "This one should be significantly easier than the other two. I chose it more for the location. We must get on a boat at the first port town, but I believe that it will be worthwhile."

"Oh… Why do you say that?" I questioned. Vanya flashed me a smile and handed me the flyer. As soon as I saw where it came from, I couldn't help but stop. "Clan of the Flames. Wow, Vanya, it seems like you're trying to give me more of a vacation than anything. I don't know if I can accept this, especially after what just happened."

"They are already expecting us. More specifically, they are expecting you."

"Vanya…"

"Now, Juniper, do not be upset. No matter how that last job went, we are to continue on. Ultimately, we saved that village from tyranny. They were not mad at you, at our team, or our guild. They were relieved, Juniper. Benjamin's spell was broken, so stand tall and move forward mentally and physically. Akio, a man that lived valiantly and died a warrior, would want that. Now, the more we travel, the faster we arrive. I did not read it extensively, but I believe they have some issue with a mountain?"

I looked up at Vanya, almost feeling as though I had been both scolded and picked up, and nodded. I began to walk a quicker pace than I had before, in hopes that would assist me in escaping my sadness. Occasionally I glanced down at the paper to read aloud the mission itself.

"'Mystery surrounding Clan of the Flames. About a year ago, the area around which our descendants were buried began to be mined. Through this mining, the dead became restless. The mountain around whose base they lay was full of precious gems, and the miners did not harm their graves. One day, the miners fled from the mines, saying they heard voices in a different tongue. All visitors from other lands have also ceased their travel. We have since had our bravest of soldiers go forth to investigate, but no one can make it to the top without being pushed down by an unseen force. Those that made it the farthest up the mountain spoke of beautiful, eerie music and two shadowy figures. Seeking wizards who may put restless souls to peace. -O'. Sounds like some pretty deep stuff, Vanya. You sure this will be easy?"

"Ah, but there are a few details that are not mentioned in the job request," she smirked back at me. "I asked around before we left the guild. Apparently, they are referred to as 'Clan of the Flames' because the mountain that they refer to is no mere mountain. It is a volcano."

I had to think hard to keep myself from stopping out of shock. A volcano? I hadn't seen one of those since I was young. In fact, it was around a volcano that I had found my first companion, Cody. Not only that, but I had learned how to use my powers by manipulating magma. It was more tangible and easier to manipulate than fire, and I remembered the comfort and contentment that had given me. I'm sure I had mentioned that to Vanya in passing, but how could she remember it?

"There is more, Juniper," she said, continuing to make her sly grin. "There is not just one, but seven volcanoes on this island. This group of people, though they are much like the tribes we have been to so far, are much more advanced. They are a welding tribe that has access to some of the toughest of metals. Thanks to that, they are able to live soundly even when the volcanoes erupt. They quite literally live amongst the flames. Quite remarkable."

My head started to spin with emotion. I was still devastated over the complete failure of the previous job, but at the same time I was overcome with excitement. This place seemed to be much like the one I had spent so much time learning about myself. The sensation I felt among the lava always set my mind at ease. Maybe that's what I needed now.

"Do we know how far away the next port town is?" I asked Vanya. She looked at me with a spark in her eyes. She knew she was getting me excited for this new venture.

"By tomorrow afternoon, we shall approach a town with a railroad system. From there, a train will be taken to the nearest port town. Total time will be about two days, give or take. We could fly there, but I am afraid that your armor is in no condition to make a journey of great length. Eldrid and I could switch out carrying you, but…"

"I need a little time," I stopped Vanya. She nodded, keeping her eyes on the forest ahead.

As the day wore on, Vanya, Eldrid, and I kept up conversation the best we could. We tried to steer away from what had happened earlier that day in attempts to keep things light, but a heaviness still hung in the air. Especially with Elle, who rarely flew down low enough for us to speak to her. Vanya explained to me that the phoenix knew what I did was justified, but that she was dealing with it all in her own way. I understood and did not question the explanation any further. I remembered the first time I had witnessed the death of a living thing. Even though it was not human, I remembered being so confused for weeks. That had been only a creature, though; those I could slay without a second thought now. The death of a human… That was something I had only witnessed once before, and still it haunted me.

We did not stop until the dark was so extreme that we could not see each other. It was then that we set up camp with the help of bright, floating flames. After all, there was no need to grab firewood and scorch the ground if I had power left to give. Vanya volunteered to go off and hunt for the evening, leaving Eldrid and I to exchange few words. She was trying her best to exude happiness, but she just did not have the will to do so. Thankfully, it was not long before Vanya returned with a bounty of rabbit, which we happily cooked and ate. Vanya ended up eating the lion's share; Elle and I just picked around and ate the bare minimum.

Finally, it was time for rest. Once again, I volunteered to take first watch. Vanya attempted to argue with me for a long time, but she ultimately knew that I wouldn't back down. After all, sleep without Yolric was nothing but one long, restless nightmare. There was the rare occasion that I could rest alone, but that seemed few and far between. So while my companions slept, I did what I felt like I could to atone for what I had done. For the first time since I had arrived to this world, I prayed. I was so faithful back home, but I had lost my way months ago, when all this worry began. I couldn't let myself cry, even if no one was watching. I didn't deserve to do so. Instead I would grab fistfuls of dirt and bite my tongue until it bled. I hated how sweet my golden blood tasted, how the wound I left healed up in a few seconds. I wanted to feel a little pain; I thought that would help me forgive myself ever so slightly.

Then I remembered the pocket watch. It was stuffed down into my pocket, but I felt its slight pressure on my leg. I took it out and rubbed my thumb over the intricate design that danced over the metal. Even without opening it, I felt the blue orb pulsate from inside the metal casing. So, this thing allowed Ben to travel, not just to another place, but in between our worlds. He was so close to confirming our whereabouts to Oberon; just the thought of it made me sick. Part of me wondered if Oberon could track Ben through this one little device. I should have burnt it with Ben's body. But at the same time, Ben was too loyal to Oberon and confident in his own skills to allow a tracking device. I felt as though there was something more to it, though. The orb and the gears that surrounded it couldn't be manipulated by my magic, and that alone was worth my inquiry.

Who knows, maybe I just didn't want to let the past go.


	21. Lex: UPDATE

To All Readers:

I promise I have not forgotten about you all! My computer has been out of commission, but I am now up and running. New chapters to be posted ASAP. Be sure to share this story with others; it's going to get intense.

Spark the Fire,

Addison S-N


	22. The Train

Eldrid and Vanya were both in high spirits when morning rolled around. Eldrid awoke first and didn't say a word, but huddled up by my side. I stroked her brightly colored feathers as she let out a contented chirp. I could tell that she was doing her best to see past what had happened. Vanya, on the other hand, was her normal self when her eyes opened an hour later. She gave me a worried gaze when she realized that I had not slept yet again. I just smiled and shrugged. Heck, I wasn't even really that tired. If anything, I was ready to get to this next job.

By that afternoon, we approached the next town. It was a small one; there was little more than an inn and a train station. We grabbed a loaf of bread and some fruit from a booth outside of the station and boarded the train. Eyes full of wonder and skepticism looked upon us. I could only imagine how we looked after two jobs, hours of travel, and no shower. Vanya didn't look much different than usual, if only just a tad bit muddier. She lived off the land all the time, anyway, so this was nothing new to her. Eldrid began preening herself as soon as we boarded, so she would soon be looking that same as she always did. I usually wouldn't feel much different after days of travel in the environment, but after sitting comfortably for a moment, my body seemed so heavy that I felt like it could only be from dirt and grime.

As the train began to move, I started to notice the rapidly changing scenery. As much as I loved being out in the open, riding in a train truly astounded me. We didn't have many trains back home, and it seemed they were the main mode of transport here. I suppose they weren't much different than cars, but they seemed so amazingly mystical to me, almost as if they took me from the present to years into the past. Not my past, either. The past of those generations before me. I wondered if those people might have a life like mine, always having to move, or just took life as it came. I longed to think the latter, and it almost made me feel more at ease with myself. The heaviness that my body felt slowly became lifted, and a calmness fell over me. My eyelids became heavy as trees passed and other passengers chattered. Maybe I was a little tired; after all, no one can stay awake forever.

I let my drowsiness overtake me. The sunlight from outside shone on my face, making what would usually be complete darkness a dark red. It was cool and comforting to my backwards senses, a relief to what I had been feeling as of late. It didn't take me long to feel as though reality was slipping away as I went into the recesses of dreams. The redness stayed in the forefront, only the coolness faded. I felt oddly numb, but why?

"Juniper..," a faint voice called.

Seriously, though, what was this ominous feeling?

"Juniper..," the voice grew louder. As it did so, I became uneasily aware of what was coming towards me. It was a voice unlike any I had ever heard before. Different parts of it sounded familiar to me, but as a whole, it was unique. I looked around, trying to find out where the mysterious sound was coming from. Meanwhile, the area around me began to become an even deeper red.

Then, a familiar voice rang out from behind, innocent and sweet.

"Why did you let them get me, Junie?"

My blood ran hotter than it ever had before. Slowly, I turned around to see the source of the angelic yet chilling tone.

There stood a visage of a child, roughly ten years old. Her wild, red hair was barely noticeable against the maroon background. Her hazel eyes were wide, curious, and innocent. Freckles danced across her pale skin, a smile played on her features. The dress she wore was long and green with other colors accenting. She wore no shoes, but wheat and tall grasses tickled her hands. I knew this child all too well, for her spirit still made my soul ache.

"Jenny… I-I tried, Honey..," I scrambled, walking closer to her. I held out a hand to her, longing to feel her gentle skin against mine. Instead of her grabbing ahold, I felt a different cooling sensation, as if something were dripping into my palm. I pulled my hand back to see a few crimson drops. Blood. Before I could completely register what it was, I felt a jerking on my shoulder that spun me around. A man with one eye, dark hair, and a deranged look about him. That's all I could comprehend.

"An eye for an eye, ey, June?" he cackled in my ear before turning me back around. He held my wrists firmly enough to where I couldn't move after seeing what was before my eyes. I didn't see who was doing it, all I saw was a knife go across Jenny's eye and then swiftly across her throat before she could even make a noise. As her delicate body fell, the plants fell with her; no longer kept alive by her energy.

The man released my wrists as I fell to my knees. Tears streamed down my face, screams of horror escaped my lips. I crawled my way over to the child that I held so dear to me, clutching her waist and wrapping myself around her. Losing her once was bad enough, why did it have to follow me into sleep? I wanted her to be alive in my dreams, to make plants grow and make those around her radiate joy as she had in life. Not this. Anything but this.

The man knelt in front of my face, still smiling. I wanted more than anything to hurt him and whoever had done this, but I couldn't move myself from Jenny. Instead I just grabbed tighter and sobbed more.

"Now… Junie, is it?" he began. "Junie, think long and hard. This was one, and you had four left. Now that you've decided to run, you've associated yourself with so many more potential victims. Do you think that was a very smart decision?"

All at once, my body went numb. My tears ceased, my whimpering quieted. I looked up at the smiling man as he began to let out a small chuckle. Flames slowly began to crackle around me as my rage and emotion built. I just wanted to be alone with what I had left of Jenny; I didn't have to have this person telling me how I had messed up once again. It wasn't like I had not already thought of it on my own. He stood above me, and I did not take my eyes away. Not for one second.

"June, June, June..," he spoke, turning his back away from me. "It seems as though my time for fun has run out. To be continued, Ms. Lex."

With a small wave, he, as well as everything else vanished.

"Wake up, Lex," I heard a harsh voice say. My eyes fluttered open to see Vanya and Eldrid; both with expressions of concern. "Sorry, I know that is not the optimal waking-up method," Vanya spoke again. "It is just that your hands were beginning to spark with flames. I gathered that it would be better to wake you from your slumber than let us all burn."

"R-Right. Sorry, Vanya," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes that seemed even heavier than before. "Did I miss anything important?" She looked out the window in contemplation before replying.

"I do not believe so. However, we should be approaching our stop soon enough."

I nodded in response. I looked over at Eldrid, who was perched in the seat next to me. Her bright red feathers glistened in the sunlight as she tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were still concerned, more so than the worry that had been consuming her after "the incident". Slowly, I reached over to stroke the top of her head. Almost instantly, she flew into my lap and curled up, as if she were in a nest. I continued to pet her as an unspoken apology for what all I had done. Eldrid looked up at me and buried her head into my shirt in acceptance. _What an innocent creature_ , I couldn't help but think.

Vanya was right. Within the half hour, we were at our next-to-last destination for the time being. The town we came to was small and quaint, the air smelled of the neighboring ocean. Still in a daze from the nightmare, I followed Vanya's lead while Eldrid perched on my shoulder. I glanced around as fisherman did their final counts for the day and vendors closed shop. The sun was dipping below the horizon, setting the ocean ablaze. _I could get used to this kind of peace,_ I thought.

Before I knew it, we were in a small, ocean-side hotel teeming with wizards. They showed off their magic to each other and laughed heartily; I couldn't help but to smile. It reminded me of Fairy Tail and how badly I wanted to be back amongst them. On the other hand, I realized that I had one last job to do before I could make that happen. Vanya made arrangements for us to stay the night as Eldrid and I scanned the faces in the crowd. I heard the receptionist say that it had been a while since she had seen members of Fairy Tail around town, but that she was ecstatic to have us. As soon as the name of our guild escaped her lips, I saw two men slowly turn to face us. They were clearly twins, having tribal markings on their bodies that mirrored each other. I looked back at them, raising an eyebrow. They both smiled widely and in a way that reminded me of Natsu. They waved us to come over to them.

"Vanya, I think we have a couple of guys that want to talk to us," I muttered over my shoulder. I saw her turn out of the corner of my eye as she grabbed a key to our room for the night.

"Well, shall we humor them, Mistress?" she smirked, not waiting for my response before sauntering over. I was stunned by the slight sway in her hips but followed her lead.

"I wonder what they want..," Eldrid whispered in my ear. I was curious for the same reason. They were tall and muscular, only slightly smaller than Elfman with tanned skin that much resembled Vanya's. Maybe that was why she seemed to take such an interest. As I got closer to them, I noticed that they smelled like a mixture of the ocean and soot; a very pleasing combination for me.

"Well, we have some Fairies in our presence, do we?" said one.

"It seems that we do, Brother," the other responded.

"Ah, yes, but our strength is more like that of a dragon. I am Vanya," she joked back. The three of them laughed, but again I was stunned. Vanya? Joking? These jobs were showing me a completely different side of her, and I had no clue how to feel. "I practice Takeover magic, while my mistress is a Forge God Slayer."

"Mistress! Does 'Mistress' have a name?" one questioned. I noticed a certain kind of force compelling me not to take my eyes from this one. His eyes were an icy blue that comforted me, much like Xavier's.

"June. June Lex," I replied, giving a small smile. He stuck his hand out, smiling largely again. I took it, and he clasped it gently with his large fingers, putting my hand to his lips.

"Well, June, I am known around here as 'The Volcano'. My true name is Hector, though. I am not as impressive as a Forge God Slayer, but I am very skilled at Fire magic," he explained. Now the pull made sense.

"I am Ike, but people call me 'Tsunami'. I use Water magic," his brother said simply, pulling the same hand kissing gesture with Vanya. Knowing how much Grey and Natsu feuded with their contrastic magic, it was remarkable how similar these two were. Well, except for their eyes; Ike's eyes were steel grey. Eldrid let out a jealous chirp, and I reached up to pull her head carefully to my lips. She rubbed up against me and was content.

"I wonder how they would do with the new magic, coming from Fairy Tail and all," Hector pondered to his brother. I perked up at the mention of a new magic.

"What is this that you speak of?" Vanya asked. I could tell her was eager, too.

"Hector, your mouth is like a volcano, too," Ike huffed, rolling his eyes. "But I cannot deny that these two have an otherworldly magic energy."

Vanya and I looked at each other. It could be the fact that we _were_ otherworldly.

"Let's go to the beach. We'll see what happens there," Ike continued. "Follow us."


End file.
